


Eddie's Wedding

by isnt_that_wizard



Category: 9-1-1 (TV)
Genre: Adriana and Sophia Diaz are Good Sisters, Alternate Universe, Angst with a Happy Ending, Bisexual Eddie Diaz, Boys In Love, Christopher Diaz is a National Treasure, Coming Out, Eddie Diaz Needs a Hug (9-1-1 TV), Eddie's having a rough time, Evan "Buck" Buckley Loves Eddie Diaz, Evan "Buck" Buckley is a Good Boyfriend, F/F, F/M, Fighting, Firehouse 118 Family (9-1-1), Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Idiots in Love, Jenny's Wedding AU, M/M, Maddie and Chim have kids!!, Marriage Proposal, Men Crying, OOC Eddie Diaz, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pregnancy, Set Three Years Post-Canon, Slightly Out Of Character, Supportive Fire Family, Weddings, don't google map it kids!, for the sake of this entire story, learning to love yourself, messy timeline, mild biphobia, mild homophobia, otherwise literally nothing makes sense, please pretend El Paso and LA are only a few hours away, updates weekly
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-06
Updated: 2020-09-25
Packaged: 2021-03-04 19:14:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 31,996
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25121473
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/isnt_that_wizard/pseuds/isnt_that_wizard
Summary: Since Shannon died, Eddie Diaz's family has been trying to set him up. They just want him to find the "right person" they tell him. Unbeknownst to them, however, Eddie already has met the right person. He knows who he wants to spend the rest of his life with, to raise Christopher with.Eddie lives an open life out in LA with his team and his friends, but not with his conventional family back in Texas. When Eddie decides he wants to remarry, however, the small world the Diaz family inhabits is suddenly blown apart. Dynamics shift, conversations become more and more difficult, and change is inevitable.  Eddie hopes to come out of it all stronger than before, and he knows that nothing will stop him from marrying the love of his life.----------An Alternate Universe for the 2015 movie Jenny's Wedding.
Relationships: Athena Grant/Bobby Nash, Christopher Diaz & Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV), Eddie Diaz & Diaz family, Eddie Diaz & Firehouse 118 Family, Evan "Buck" Buckley/Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV), Evan “Buck” Buckley & Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV), Helena Diaz/Ramon Diaz (9-1-1 TV), Henrietta "Hen" Wilson/Karen Wilson, Maddie Buckley/Howie "Chimney" Han
Comments: 73
Kudos: 469





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> This is an AU based on the 2015 movie Jenny's Wedding! There are quotes taken directly from the film, and almost all plot points are taken from the film. I do not own the plot, characters, or ideas from either the movie or the show!
> 
> Beware before you read of mild homo/biphobia, talks of religious views, mentions of affairs, coming out scenes, and confrontations with family members. If any readers find tags that they would like me to add, please comment so I can put them on! 
> 
> (also for the sake of the story making any sense, I ask that readers completely ignore the actual amount of time it would take to get from LA to El Paso and pretend it only takes a few hours)

Eddie supposed that it all started the weekend he and Christopher traveled back to El Paso for his newborn nephew’s baptismal service. Sophia was the middle child of the Diaz family, three years younger than Eddie. She and her husband had just had their first child, Diego Ramon Esteves, and they’d asked Eddie to be godfather to their baby boy. Eddie had practically melted on the spot when Sophia and Luis had asked him, and Christopher had been delighted to have a third cousin in the mix. Even though Sophia and Luis now lived in Houston, Eddie’s parents had been adamant that they would host the celebration, the service in the same church all three Diaz children had been baptized in. 

Eddie withheld mention that his investment in the Catholic religion his family subscribed to was less than strong. Eddie never took Chris to church except on holiday visits with the family, or unless Abuela forced them into it. Over the years, especially after his time with the 118 and personal discoveries he’d made along the way, it was becoming especially difficult to buy into the religion. But nevertheless, Eddie stood now in his parents’ church, his sister and brother-in-law standing across from him and Luis’ cousin Lucy next to him to serve as godmother. In Eddie’s arms was his new nephew, sleeping soundly. Eddie bounced him lightly, smiling down at the peaceful child. He was adorable, and Eddie knew that just like his two nieces- Adriana’s kids- the little boy would have his uncle wrapped around his finger. Eddie was only half listening to the priest beside him.

“Do you reject Satan?”

Eddie felt himself tense a little as the others around him responded quietly with their affirmations, keeping silent himself. 

“And all his empty promises?”

Eddie bit the inside of his cheek.

“And all his works?”

Once again, this time with a sideways look from all those around him, Eddie was quiet. The priest spared him a longer look, whispering so only Eddie would be able to hear, “You have to answer.”

Eddie took a slightly shaky breath as he bounced Diego gently, looking up to the priest. In as low a voice, he responded with, “What if I don’t believe in Satan? Or that all the works attributed to him are evil?”

It filled him with an odd sense of relief, really, when rather than a frown or a declaration of disbelief, the priest simply gave him a look of exasperation, asking him, “Oh, just answer, will you?”

Eddie sighed, giving a tense smile as he quietly bit out the words, “I do.”

Eddie knew his sister was watching him with a questioning look, and at a glance towards where Chris was sitting, he saw his parents fitting him with the same confused glare. Eddie was grateful that the rest of the ceremony passed by with ease and short time, and he was happy to retake his seat next to his now 13 year old son, who just gave him a knowing smile as he did. Eddie raised an eyebrow at his son; this kid was growing far too knowledgeable and understanding for Eddie’s taste. It was too grown up, making Eddie miss the days when the boy had fit as easily into his arms as Diego just had. Eddie pointedly did not look to his parents the rest of the service. When it was over and everyone was milling about, Eddie stayed relatively off to the side and quiet, Christopher sticking by his side. Chris loved being sociable, but crowds were never his favorite; it was difficult for him to move around large groups of people, especially in a church, with his slow pace and crutches. 

Soon enough, the Diaz and Esteves families were all back and congregating at Helena and Ramon’s home. After depositing their stuff and excess church-appropriate clothing items in Eddie’s old room, Chris moved out to the large living room to play with his cousins. Adriana’s two girls were five and one years old, but they both adored Chris. Eddie knew having Christopher play and keep an eye on them- under what he was sure Pepa’s watchful eye- was a welcome reprieve for his youngest sister; her husband was nice enough, but Eddie knew he was also a good definition of a deadbeat dad. He was constantly out of the house, didn’t do much to take care of the kids, and pretty much helped Adriana with absolutely nothing. His youngest sister always looked so tired, not at all the picture of perfectly put together he had known her to be when they were younger. Eddie hated him, though he’d never say it to his sister’s face. It was clear that she still looked at him with an inkling of love in her eyes, and Eddie reminded himself of how much he despised it when his family said anything negative about Shannon. In her death they were much kinder to the woman, but the negativity was still alive in ways. 

Eddie knew that he should venture into the kitchen; he was meant to be helping his father, abuela, and sister put together food for the large gathering of their families, but he was already in need of a break for the day. So instead he wandered outside, out onto the porch he’d helped his father build and paint. He took a deep breath, and it was without consciousness and instinctual that he reached into his slacks’ pocket and pulled out his phone to dial a familiar number. It only took two rings for the other side of the line to answer. 

_ “Hey, Eds.” _

It was immediate that Eddie felt himself relax, a small smile forming on his lips. 

“Hey, Buck.”

_ “How’s it going?” _

“Pretty good. No one’s broken out in a fight yet.”

_ “Yet?” _

“Church was. . . well. My parents may have a few questions.”

_ “Shit, I’m sorry, man. I know it’s not easy for you- I would have come with if I could have.” _

Eddie smiled. He and Christopher both had wanted nothing more than for Buck to come along. But he also didn’t want to deal with the questions, the hiding, and he wasn’t sure that Abuela and Pepa would be able to keep their mouths shut. Not to mention, getting the whole weekend off for just Eddie was a hassle for Bobby, it would be even worse for both him and Buck to be gone from the 118. 

“Sophia sends her love, says she can’t wait until you can meet Diego.”

He could practically picture Buck smiling in the firehouse right now. 

_ “You better give that kid so many hugs for me.” _

Eddie laughed. “How’s it going back at home? You answered pretty quickly considering you’re supposed to be on shift.”

_ “Pretty slow, actually. Chim was going on another rant about Maddie’s weird pregnancy cravings, so I’m hiding out in the gym. I was just about to start some pull-ups when you called.” _

Maddie was pregnant for the second time. Shortly after their daughter, Joy Anne, was born, Chimney had wised up enough to propose to her. Considering they already had a kid, they weren’t so worried about prevention, and it was a month after their wedding that they found out that Maddie was pregnant again. She was now six months along with  _ twins _ , which was simultaneously exciting and stressing out everyone. Since Chimney couldn’t very well tell the women carrying his children that she was being kinda hysterical or that her want of Cheez-Its and ketchup was weird as all hell, he had taken to dumping it all out during shifts instead. Eddie certainly didn’t blame Buck for wanting to get away from his brother-in-law for a little bit. 

“I should probably let you get to it, then. Never know when the bell will ring.”

_ “You sure, Eds? If you need to talk or anything, you know you win over a workout any time.” _

Eddie smiled as he let out a deep breath. “Yeah, Buck, I’m good. Just needed to hear your voice, I guess.”

Buck was quiet for a moment, as if he was trying to pull apart Eddie’s words to see if a lie was beneath them.  _ “Okay. But come back home soon, yeah? It’s way too quiet in that house without my Diaz boys to make a bunch of noise.” _

Buck had moved in with Eddie and Chris about a year and a half ago. They both figured that Buck was around the house more often than not anyway, spent the night too many times to count, and his apartment’s rent had gone up a little too much to afford by himself. It made both Chris and Eddie incredibly happy to have the man living with them, too; it felt like the house was more complete. 

“Trust me, I’m counting down the minutes until we’re back home. Miss you.”

_ “Miss you, too, Eds. Give Chris a hug for me.” _

With that, they hung up. Eddie stayed outside another minute, just watching the cars going down the street and taking a few deep breaths before braving back inside the house and his family awaiting him in the kitchen. When he did enter through the kitchen door, it was to Sophia sitting at the breakfast table with Diego in her arms, his father hovering over Adriana as she organized a basket of food, and to Luis staring at his expectantly. 

“Hey, man, where you been? I have someone I want you to meet.”

Eddie immediately felt all the tension his short phone call to Buck erased come back with a vengeance. Not this again. Please, not this again. It seemed to become Sophia and Luis’ favorite pastime during family visits to try and set him up with various girls they knew. The entire family seemed to have decided that it had been long enough since Shannon died and he needed to get back out there. Settle down with some nice girl and remarry. He reluctantly had met everyone his family deemed good for him, but had never called any of them. He could feel his family’s exasperation over the fact all the way in LA. Never mind that meeting some nice girl was the  _ last  _ thing Eddie wanted. 

“I have to help dad and Adriana with the food,” Eddie spit out quickly, a weak attempt to get out of it. 

“No, you don’t,” Ramon waved a finger at his son, “Your Abuela already has everything set up out there. You can help clean up later, Eddito.”

Eddie sighed deeply. Even his father was trying to set him up, unbelievable. Sophia looked up at him with a small smile from where she sat at the table. “All you have to do is say hello.”

Eddie pursed his lips, putting on a fake smile as he forced himself to follow Luis out to the living room. As he was led to a short, pretty blonde standing by the fireplace, he caught his son’s eye just in time to Chris cringe in his direction. Chris didn’t like the family trying to set Eddie up anymore than he did. 

“Eddie, this is our good friend Tamara. She’s transferring soon to our LA office, believe it or not.” 

Her smile was bright and pretty, the kind that may have made Eddie’s heart pump a little faster once upon a time. But now he just gritted his teeth as he smiled back, shaking her hand. 

“That’s awesome. LA is great, you’ll love it.”

She, honest to god,  _ giggled _ at his in no way humorous statement, and Eddie internally rolled his eyes. He got hit on during enough calls to know what that meant. 

“Yeah! I’m excited!” she responded far too enthusiastically for the topic at hand. “Look, I have to go soon, but, um, would it be alright if I maybe called you sometime?” 

She was twirling a segment of hair around her finger, leaning forward slightly as she spoke. Eddie’s plastered on smile was reaching the point he knew it started to look as fake as it was, so he just nodded, slowly backing up. “Sure, sure. Sounds good.”

As he made his escape back into the kitchen, where now only Adriana stood, he vaguely heard his aunt say in a kind voice to the girl, “I wouldn’t bother, dear.”

Eddie almost let out a snort, grateful for his aunt having his back, just as always. Adriana pursed her lips as she saw how quickly her brother had returned. 

“Strike 43, hermano.”

Eddie rolled his eyes as he reached down for a glass his sister had just finished washing to dry it with a towel. “Shut up, Adriana.”

“I don’t understand why everyone is even bothering anymore. That girl was cute, and Soph says she’s wonderful with children. You know, if you continue to be so picky, you and Christopher will end up alone for the rest of your life.”

Maybe it was the mention of Chris that made Eddie snap. 

“Would that be such a bad thing? And you know, has it ever occurred to  _ any  _ of you that I might actually be in a relationship with somebody?”

Well, that was more words than he’d planned on saying. Adriana looked at him with shock, and Eddie internally cringed. 

“Are you?” she questioned. Eddie bit his cheek from blurting anything more out. He was silent for a moment before looking to the ground, crossing his arms. 

“It doesn’t matter. I just don’t understand why everyone just assumes that I’m  _ not. _ ”

Adriana looks at him with confusion on his face. “Hermano, you have not brought home a single person since Shannon died, and you always shut down if we mention you dating. The only people we’ve met are your roommate and that group of friends you work with. . . And if there is someone, why wouldn’t you want us to meet her? What’s wrong with her, huh?”

Eddie just sighs deeply, making his way back out of the kitchen. As he reaches the doorway, he hears his sister gasp. He looks back at her just in time to hear her say, “Eddito, she’s not  _ married _ , is she?”

He simply fixes her with the strongest look of disdain he can muster, then leaves her to her thoughts in the otherwise empty kitchen. He goes into the living room, plopping down on the couch next to his grandmother. 

“¿Tus hermanas están tratando de engañarte?”

“Si,” he responded, slumping his shoulders as she rubbed a hand up and down his back. 

“Lo siento, nieto.”

Eddie lets his grandmother comfort him for a moment, Chris coming over as he sees them sitting there. 

“Dad?”

Eddie looks up at his son with a small smile. “Hey, buddy. Your Buck says hi.”

Chris didn’t resist as Eddie pulled him down to the couch, wrapping him in the hug Buck had requested he give the teenager. Eddie was able to spend the rest of the family gathering mostly avoiding his sisters or his brother-in-law. Abuela and Pepa were like saints, warding off anyone who looked like they just “wanted Eddie to meet someone” with nothing more than a look. The afternoon passed with little event, and Eddie thought he might even get the rest of the weekend away from it all. He knew he had thought that too soon, though, when his mother called him into the dining room to help “polish the silver”. Eddie sighed deeply, but followed Helena anyway. 

They’d barely been in there for a minute before his mother started in on him. “So, I was talking to your sister.”

“And?” Eddie gritted out, grabbing a rag and a few spoons from off the table. 

“She mentioned- well, Adriana was wondering- Eddie, are you in a relationship with a married woman?”

Eddie groaned loudly, looking at his mother with shock. God, Adriana hadn’t taken that and run with it, had she? He really could throttle his youngest sister sometimes. 

“Dios mío, mom. I am not involved with a married woman.”

His mom pursed her lips, but nodded. “Good.”

“You believe me?” Eddie blinked. “Just like that?”

Helena smiled kindly at her eldest child. “Of course I do. You never lie.”

Eddie tensed his jaw, looking down at the table. He said nothing. Sophia called out for their mother from the room down the hall, and Eddie watched as his mother went, pressing a kiss to his cheek on her way past. Eddie stayed, polishing a few knives now. His father came in soon after. 

“Edmundo,” Ramon started, “I wanted to-”

“Adriana sure has a big mouth,” Eddie interrupted sharply. “She tell all of you her little theory by now? If she’s going to run her mouth, she can at least get her damn story straight.”

“Eddie. . .” his father sighed.

“I know, I know. I’m sorry for snapping, papi.”

Ramon nodded, coming to stand on the other side of the table with his arms crossed, so Eddie had no choice but to face him. 

“You should leave your sister alone, mijo. You don’t know what it’s like for her, being married to a man like Dean.”

Eddie sighed, then silently cursed himself as he once opened his mouth and spilled more words than he wanted to. “I barely know what it’s like to be married at all.”

He and Shannon had gotten married young, mostly due to Christopher. Then Eddie had been gone for almost six years straight, then Shannon had left. Their marriage existed almost entirely in the rings they wore on their fingers rather than between their actual living, breathing bodies. Eddie could never in his life regret his relationship with her, and he thanked the universe everyday for his son, but he knew that the way they had gone about everything ended up being unhealthy for the both of them, no matter how much love they had for each other. 

“You sound like a marriage is what you want,” his father commented. Eddie shrugged. 

“Most people want that.”

Ramon nodded slowly, “I suppose. That’s why so many people get married for reasons that are not necessarily the right ones.”

Eddie didn’t want to look far enough into that comment to see Shannon at the end of it. Instead he just pressed forward.

“What exactly are the right reasons?”

Ramon contemplated for a moment before looking off to where his wife had gone. “Because you meet the right person. And when you meet the  _ right  _ person-” Eddie once again ignored the crack about his failed relationship with Shannon. “-you go the distance. People change, mijo, but with the right person. . . when they change, you have the opportunity to meet that right person all over again.”

They lapsed into silence. Eddie thought back to how both he and Shannon had changed over the course of their marriage. The way his father was talking, he was reminded that Shannon hadn’t been the right person for him. They had loved each other, sure, but when it came to meet each other again, they had failed. Shannon had been good for him, but she wasn’t  _ his person _ . He’d known that for a long time now. But just maybe. . . 

Eddie tried to bury the fear and anxiety working it’s way up his throat. His father understood what it was to be so deeply in love that you were sure the rest of your life would be with that person. Eddie could see it in the way Ramon looked at Helena, in the soft smile that formed on his lips when his wife walked into a room, even after all these years. Surely, his father would understand. Eddie just needed to get it out before anxiety closed his mouth for good. 

“Well, Adriana did get something right,” he started quietly, looking down at the silverware in his hands. “I  _ am  _ seeing somebody.”

Ramon looked surprised at his son. Eddie bit the inside of his cheek. 

“Dad, I really think that it is. . . the  _ right person _ .”

His father began smiling widely. Eddie took a deep breath. He couldn’t believe he’d admitted that. 

“So when’s the wedding, then?”

Eddie huffed a laugh, looking down at the table again, setting down the last of the silverware and his rag. “I don’t know, dad.”

Before his father could say anything more, Eddie walked out of the dining room, quietly bidding his family good night before going to his old room, where Chris was already resting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SPANISH TRANSLATIONS (via Google Translate):
> 
> ¿Tus hermanas están tratando de engañarte? - Your sisters are trying to set you up?
> 
> Lo siento, nieto. - I’m sorry, grandson.
> 
> Dios mío - My god


	2. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eddie took a deep breath. “I decided. . . I want to get married.”
> 
> Eddie thought for a second Buck had literally frozen. His eyes had gone wide, his mouth falling slightly open. Eddie took a deep breath, biting the inside of his cheek. 
> 
> “Wow,” Buck said. “I, um- shit. I never thought I’d hear you say that. What- what happened?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is an AU based on the 2015 movie Jenny's Wedding! There are quotes taken directly from the film, and almost all plot points are taken from the film. I do not own the plot, characters, or ideas from either the movie or the show!
> 
> Beware before you read of mild homo/biphobia, talks of religious views, mentions of affairs, coming out scenes, and confrontations with family members. If any readers find tags that they would like me to add, please comment so I can put them on! 
> 
> (also for the sake of the story making any sense, I ask that readers completely ignore the actual amount of time it would take to get from LA to El Paso and pretend it only takes a few hours)

Eddie and Christopher arrived home mid-afternoon. The house was immaculately clean, something Eddie and Chris shared a laugh over. Buck clearly had been bored. The other firefighter was due home soon; he’d worked a 30 hour shift, helping to make up for the lack of Eddie at the station. Eddie was glad he’d be home soon; after a full Saturday, Sunday, and the part of this morning before they’d left, Eddie was considerably fed up with his family. He needed Buck’s bright smile and cheery voice to brighten the house back up. Buck was always, miraculously, energetic after getting off long shifts. He had an uncanny ability to fall asleep anywhere, so he was usually the only one who’d had any inkling of rest by the time the team got off shift. Eddie was especially glad for it today; he really needed to talk to Buck about something. Preferably sooner rather than later. He couldn’t get his family’s conversations from yesterday out of his head. 

After sending Chris off to his room to unpack his things, Eddie dumped his small duffel bag and backpack into the master bedroom before heading straight to the kitchen. He reached up to the cupboard above the fridge and pulled down a box of cookies. He then wandered into the living room, plopping down on the couch. Eddie stared at the silent television, listening to the quiet sounds of Christopher moving around and the music he had put on. Eddie couldn’t quite make out what it was, but it sounded like the songs Abuela enjoyed playing when she was cooking. Eddie was still on the couch when he heard the front door open and Buck dropping his bag and coat by the entrance. 

“Eddie? You home?” Buck called out, smiling as he came around the corner and saw Eddie on the couch. Eddie lifted a hand to smile and wave at him, a sense of relaxation falling over him. Buck’s smile fell, however, as he spied what was in Eddie’s lap. 

“Are those the “last resort” cookies from above the fridge?” 

Eddie gave a small laugh and nodded. 

“Well, that’s not good. Fight with your sister actually happen, then?”

Eddie shook his head. “We got really close, though. Adriana decided to tell everyone I was involved with a married woman.”

Buck winced.

“This was after, mind you, Soph and Luis tried to set me up.” 

Buck began walking over to the couch with a sympathetic grimace, but he was interrupted as the surprisingly forceful body of a 13 year old slammed into him from behind. 

“Buck!”

Buck laughed, turning around in Christopher’s grip. “Hey, buddy! How you doing?”

Chris smiled up at him, glasses now crooked on his face from where he’d attempted to burrow his head into Buck’s back. “I’m good. Dad and I missed you. The baby was so cute! Tía Sophia let me hold him while he was napping.”

Eddie let Christopher’s excited rambling over the things they’d done over the weekend fade out, watching Buck carefully. The other firefighter’s face was bright and happy, not a thing about him giving any indication that he didn’t want to be here. Eddie loved that Buck always, even from the very beginning, accepted Christopher in everything he was. He knew a lot of people didn’t want to spend time with children, or didn’t know how to handle them, but not Buck. Buck was wonderful with Chris and the rest of their team's kids. He accepted them wholeheartedly. He was Christopher’s best friend, and he was Eddie’s, too. Eddie felt himself smile widely as he watched the pair of them, Buck listening to Chris’ words like they were gospel.

“I need to talk to you,” Eddie suddenly blurted out, interrupting his son. Both of them turned to look at Eddie, but Eddie’s gaze was solely on Buck, meeting his blue eyes with newfound determination and resolve. Chris frowned in confusion at his father’s sudden outburst, but released Buck from his grip. 

“Um, I’ll be in the kitchen, I guess,” the teenager stated, wandering off. Buck moved, finishing his journey to the couch and sitting at the opposite end. 

“Okay? Eddie?”

Eddie took a deep breath. “I decided. . . I want to get married.”

Eddie thought for a second Buck had literally frozen. His eyes had gone wide, his mouth falling slightly open. Eddie took a deep breath, biting the inside of his cheek. 

“Wow,” Buck said. “I, um- shit. I never thought I’d hear you say that. What- what happened?”

Eddie smiled a little, watching Buck carefully. “I was talking with my dad, and just. . . The things he said, I guess. It made me realize how much I was  _ missing _ . Shannon and I may have been husband and wife, but we weren’t really married, you know? I want to do this right. I want to get married, and be happy with the person I love forever.”

Buck was smiling, but there was apprehension. “Did you- did you tell him  _ who  _ you want to marry?”

Eddie deflated just a little, shaking his head. “No.”

Buck reached over, putting a hand on Eddie’s forearm. 

“Don’t you think you should tell them you’re marrying  _ me?  _ Preferably before the ceremony?”

Eddie huffed a laugh and nodded. “Yeah, Buck. I’m gonna tell them.”

Buck was smiling. “Really?”

Eddie nodded.

“You really want to marry me?”

Eddie moved his arms so Buck’s hand now fell into his own. He looked down at their intertwined fingers, smiling at how perfectly they seemed to fit together. He was careful to keep them together as he slipped off the couch and in front of Buck. He heard Buck’s sweet laughter as he moved up onto one knee, kissing Buck’s hand. 

“Buck, we’ve been together for three years now. Every time you’ve made me smile or laugh, every kiss or hug or reassurance, every time you help Chris and love him as your own, every time you love  _ me _ , and make me feel safe, happy, and cared for- it all just confirms what I already know. You’re the love of my life, Evan Buckley. You’re my person, and you have been from the moment we said we’d have each other’s backs anytime. I know I’ve been stubborn, I know it’s hard that my family doesn’t know I’m bisexual and that we’re together, and I know I’ve dogged around marriage for so long. But I’m done. I want this, and I want it with you. You deserve the world, and I really want to be the one who tries to give it to you. I’m so in love with you. Will you marry me?”

Buck’s smile was wider than Eddie thought he’d ever seen. There were tears in his eyes, and Buck choked around a sob as he nodded frantically. Eddie smiled back at him, surging up to wrap his fiancé in a hug. Buck’s grip on him was so tight Eddie could barely breathe, but he didn’t care. He pressed a kiss against Buck’s shoulder, where his head was tucked against Buck. 

“Fuck, Eddie, I love you so much,” Buck’s voice came muffled against Eddie’s neck. Eddie pulled away from him just enough to press their lips together fiercely. Buck tasted like salt from his tears, and Eddie knew Buck could probably taste the cookies leftover on his lips, the kiss was messy and uncoordinated, but it was perfect. Because everything his father had said about finding the right person was what he felt with Buck. There was nothing on earth that could happen, no way either of them could change that would take away even an ounce of the love he felt for Evan Buckley. 

When they pulled apart, it was with panting breaths, wide smiles, and more tears on both ends. Buck had his hands on either side of Eddie’s face, and he leaned their foreheads together. “You’re the love of my life, too, Eds. Everything you just said, just- you’re mine, too.” 

It was when they heard a sniffle off to their side that they pulled apart from each other. In the entrance to the kitchen, Christopher stood watching them, rubbing his eyes to get away a few tears of his own. “Geez, dad. For a guy that sucks at words, that was  _ really _ good.”

Eddie and Buck both let the laughter bubble out of them at their son’s words. Eddie held out a hand to Chris, beckoning him to them. As soon as he was close enough, Eddie pulled the kid into the hug neither firefighter had quite released themselves from. 

Neither Buck or Eddie had ever lied about their relationship to Christopher. When they’d told the then-10 year old that they wanted to start dating each other, the kid had been overjoyed. He already loved Buck like another dad, and he had happily jumped in his seat at the thought that this meant it would be real, that Buck really would be his father. Eddie had been scared at what his son might think of him dating a man- of dating again at all- but he should have known better. Buck certainly had, and he’d told Eddie for hours before they’d sat down with Chris that it would be okay. 

In their life in LA, Buck and Eddie had never lived in secret. There was a short time, when they were still figuring this out, that they had kept it private, hadn’t worked up to telling the team or Maddie yet, but that was it. Everyone in their life here knew that they were together, in love, and they accepted them fully and without question. Maddie had told them that even before they’d gotten together, she’d always thought of them as this little family unit. Eddie, Buck, and Christopher. Their life in LA was perfect. It was when they looked outside of it that it got a little messy. 

Eddie had never told anyone in his family- even when he was 16 and kissed a boy for the first time- that he was bisexual. Well, no one but his Abuela and Pepa. The two women were so important in his life, and even if for a minute he’d tried to hide his relationship with Buck, they would have smelled his bullshit a mile away. Eddie hadn’t been scared to tell them; the women had always been more progressive and liberal than the rest of the Diaz family. The rest of them, though? 

Ramon and Helena had their own little world, one they loved to stay in. It was their perfect little bubble of Texas, catholicism, and traditionalism. Eddie, Sophia, and Adriana had all been raised in that small world. Eddie had just never found the right time to tell them. He was terrified of their reactions, really. And Christopher, who had always been far too understanding for what his age implied, he had been able to tell. The first time they saw Eddie’s parents after he and Buck had gotten together, Chris had quietly asked him, “Are you gonna tell Abuelo and Grandma? About you and Bucky?”

It hadn’t been a fun conversation for Eddie to have with his son that sometimes people didn’t like that others were different from them, that some people thought that they  _ shouldn't  _ be certain ways. Chris kind of understood- he had suffered the looks and teasing because of his CP, but he also had a best friend who had two mommies and another best friend that had a dad with a boyfriend, so  _ why?  _ What was wrong with that? It wasn’t fair of them to get upset about that. 

Eddie had hugged Chris so tightly that day that if he’d gripped any harder, he feared he might break his kid’s bones. Christopher had promised him that if daddy wanted to keep it a secret, he would be the best secret keeper ever. And he truly was. Through every family gathering, every meeting with some teacher or doctor or sales rep that his sisters set him up with, and every time Buck couldn’t come with them because they knew his parents would start asking why Buck, his coworker and roommate was around so often. Christopher, Isabel, and Josephine Diaz had been the master secret keepers.

Eddie felt Buck pressing light kisses onto his face, in every spot he could reach it seemed. Eddie smiled at the sensation, leaning up from where he’s pressed his face into Chris’ curls to return them with a kiss of his own to Buck’s jaw. When the small family finally pulled apart, Eddie finally sat back on the couch rather than his weird kneeling position on the floor. As he did, Chris looked between them hesitantly. 

“Does this mean you’re going to tell Abuelo and Grandma now? And my Tías?”

Eddie took a deep breath, feeling nervousness settle back into his stomach. It stalled, though, when he felt Buck take his hand. He looked down to where his fiancé’s thumb was rubbing circles onto the back of his hand. Fiancé. Buck was his  _ fiancé.  _ They were going to get married. 

Eddie felt the smile slowly return to his face. 

“Yeah, buddy. It means I’m gonna tell them.” 


	3. Chapter Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Eddito, what could possibly be so hard that you are attempting to dig a trench in your mother’s favorite rug?”
> 
> “I’m bi,” Eddie blurted, clenching his fists so tight Buck would probably say they’d never come undone. 
> 
> “What?” Ramon asked.
> 
> “I’m bisexual,” Eddie said, a little easier this time.
> 
> “You’re. . . what?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is an AU based on the 2015 movie Jenny's Wedding! There are quotes taken directly from the film, and almost all plot points are taken from the film. I do not own the plot, characters, or ideas from either the movie or the show!
> 
> Beware before you read of mild homo/biphobia, talks of religious views, mentions of affairs, coming out scenes, and confrontations with family members. If any readers find tags that they would like me to add, please comment so I can put them on!
> 
> (also for the sake of the story making any sense, I ask that readers completely ignore the actual amount of time it would take to get from LA to El Paso and pretend it only takes a few hours)

It was another month before Eddie got around to telling his parents. They were back in El Paso, just for a day this time, for his parents’ anniversary. His sisters, like every year, decided Helena and Ramon needed a party to celebrate. So all three of them were back in Texas, and Eddie was going to tell them. That he was bisexual, that he was with Buck, and that they were going to get married. 

There had been a full out party when they’d announced to their LA family. Maddie and Karen had literally cried, Carla- who was still under their employment but had become a much closer friend- practically shouted praise to the lord above, Chimney had hugged them both so long that it began getting uncomfortable, Hen had immediately begun planning what she called the Best Engagement Party Ever, and Bobby and Athena had given them tight, proud hugs and offered to host the party. They had been showered with so much love and celebration that frankly, they didn’t know what to do with themselves. Maddie insisted that it wasn’t official until Eddie got her baby brother a ring, and with fear of the extremely hormonal pregnant woman, he had no problem readily agreeing to his future sister-in-law’s demands. He’d found a band of black gold with a small inset of three diamonds in a diagonal line in the middle. Buck had cried when presented with it at the party, Eddie once again on his knee to slip the ring on his finger. Chris had been chattering away excitedly all month about his two dads getting married. 

Eddie knew life in El Paso would be a much different story. Eddie had told his parents that Buck would be coming with them for the party, and though they were slightly confused- really, they had only met Buck a few times, though Buck was getting to know Sophia and Adriana pretty well- they were welcoming enough to the extra addition. Eddie wanted the support of his best friend and fiancé when he did this. Now they were sitting in Eddie’s truck outside the house. Eddie had told his parents the last time they talked that he had something important to tell them while he was there. He was sure it had become all the gossip of the Diaz family. Christopher was quiet in the back seat, headphones in and fiddling with the phone Eddie had reluctantly bought him while Eddie sat in the passenger seat nervously and Buck watched him carefully. 

“Eddie, baby, we have to go in.”

“I know.”

“Look, I know what you’re thinking. In your head you think you’ve been lying to them all this time, and it’s terrifying you.”

“Haven’t I? This is nothing new, Buck. I’ve known I liked guys since I was _14_. And all those girls they set me up with, I never said “no, sorry, I’m in a committed relationship”. I’ve been lying for years.”

Buck sighed, reaching out to place a hand on Eddie’s thighs. “Baby, I know how hard this is. I cried for an hour straight before I could finally tell Maddie. And maybe you lied, sure, and yeah, it’s probably gonna change how they see you, at least a little bit, but we’re gonna be okay. _You’re_ gonna be okay.”

“How do you know that?”

“Because we have an entire family waiting for us back in Los Angeles, and they love us unconditionally. Because we have Chris, and each other.”

Eddie took a few deep breaths, focusing on the weight of Buck’s hand on his leg and the sound of Chris’ humming in the back seat. He nodded. “Yeah, yeah, you’re right. It’s gonna be okay.”

Buck smiled at him, squeezing his leg lightly. “Damn right. Now go, get in there.”

Eddie looked at him in confusion. “Buck, you’re coming, too.”

Buck smiled sheepishly, then shook his head. “No. You need to do this on your own, and I think you know you do. I’ll go see some of the sights, maybe stop by a museum or something. Call me when the party’s over, and I’ll come pick you guys up, yeah?”

Eddie wanted to say no, to drag Buck in behind them and never let go of his hand. But as usual, his fiancé was right. He took a few anxious breaths, then nodded. He unbuckled his seat belt and opened the car door, prompting Chris to do the same. When Chris didn’t question why Buck wasn’t getting out, Eddie knew his son had heard at least a part of their conversation. Chris carried the gift they had bought for Helena and Ramon, and together they began the anxiety ridden walk up to the house. Chris reached out to Eddie, squeezing his father’s hand. 

“Love you, daddy.”

Chris rarely called him daddy anymore. Eddie knew he reserved it for when he wanted something or when emotions were running high. It always seemed to calm Eddie down, at least just a little. It’s effect seemed to be working now, as Eddie found himself smiling down at his son, replying with an “I love you” of his own. The door opened as they got close to it, his mother stepping out with a smile on her face. 

“Eddie! Chris! Hi, sweetheart. Oh, where’s Buck?”

Chris looked up at him in lieu of answering, and Eddie stumbled for just a moment before saying, “Oh, um, he wasn’t feeling well. Thinks he ate something weird yesterday, so he’s gonna find a hotel or something, rest for a bit.”

His quick thinking was bought by his mother, who frowned sympathetically. She ushered them into the house, announcing their arrival. Eddie chose to ignore Adriana’s “finally” and focused instead on his five year old niece, Charlie, running up to hug him and Chris. His father came up shortly after Charlie ran back to Dean and Adriana. Ramon greeted them with a smile and a kiss to Chris’ curls before asking, “Is Buck not with you?”

“He wasn’t feeling well, he’s resting at a hotel,” Helena answered for him. Eddie felt like his mouth wouldn’t work. 

“Dios, is he coming down with something?”

“Dad, can I talk to you? Upstairs?” Eddie blurted, then moved before his father could even respond. He heard Ramon following him a few seconds later, and Eddie stopped in his parents’ room, of all places. His hands were shaking, his breathing heavier, and he felt like his throat was closing up. Ramon looked at him quizzically, sitting on the bed and watching him and Eddie began pacing back and forth. Jesus Christ, he felt like he was going to be sick. He couldn’t do this, he couldn’t do this, he couldn’t do this. He was a soldier and a firefighter- he ran into danger for a living- but this, this he couldn’t do. What the hell was wrong with him? 

“Please, say something, Eddie,” his father spoke from his place on the bed, and Eddie glanced to him. His father was looking at him with concern.

“We thought you were going to tell us you were getting married, Edmundo. Though, really, it doesn’t look like that now. What happened, son? Did you break up?”

“No,” Eddie mustered out. His pacing hadn’t ceased. 

“Que pasa, mijo?”

Eddie paused his pacing, looking his father in the eyes. Ramon had taught him to shove his emotions aside, to wipe yourself off then get back up. He wasn’t a man of emotion, and it wasn’t often Eddie had ever had a heart-to-heart with his father. “This isn’t going to be easy for you, papi.”

“Mijo, just out with it. Are you sick?”

“No.” 

“Eddito, what could possibly be so hard that you are attempting to dig a trench in your mother’s favorite rug?”

“I’m bi,” Eddie blurted, clenching his fists so tight Buck would probably say they’d never come undone. 

“What?” Ramon asked.

“I’m bisexual,” Eddie said, a little easier this time.

“You’re. . . what?”

“Dad, I’m bisexual.”

He wasn’t sure how to read his father’s expression. He looked shocked, confused, and a million other things. He didn’t see anger, which was good. 

“Edmundo, you. . . but what about your girlfriends?”

Eddie shook his head, looking down at the ground. “There weren’t any girlfriends, dad. Not in high school, not now. Just Shannon. Mom and the girls, they made them up and I just. . . went along with it, I guess.”

“How long have you. . .”

“Always, dad,” Eddie admitted quietly. He didn’t look at his father. 

“And we missed that? How could we have missed that?”

Eddie looked at him, feeling as though he could cry. “You didn’t want to see it, dad. You both didn’t want to, and I knew that. So I didn’t say anything.”

They fell into silence, neither quite meeting each other’s eye. Eventually, the ever growing tense silence between them was broken by Ramon. “Where did we go wrong?”

It felt like a punch to Eddie’s gut. He tried to force back the sting of tears he felt welling in his eyes. “Nowhere. Dad, you didn’t do anything wrong. I’m just, this is how I am. I’m the same person, dad.”

Eddie felt his voice break, and he couldn’t stop the tears even if he tried when he saw his father shake his head.

“No, Edmundo. You are not. All these years, you have been lying to us.”

Silence lapsed again, and Eddie used his sleeve to wipe tears from his eyes. 

“Your mother will have to know,” Ramon stated, his voice becoming stonier by the second. “And you should tell her.”

Eddie nodded. “I planned to tell you both, but everyone was staring when we came in, and I. . . But you’re right. She needs to know before I tell everyone else.”

His father’s head snapped up from where he had been staring at their white comforter. “You plan to tell other people?”

Another punch to Eddie’s stomach. “Dad, I have to tell Sophia and Adriana. . . Buck and I, we want to get married, dad.”

“You’re marrying your coworker?”

Eddie frowned, “He’s not just my coworker. We’ve been together for three years. We’re getting married. We want the three of us to be a family- us with Christopher.”

“Christopher knows?”

“Of course.”

His father shook his head. “No, Edmundo. You’ll. . . confuse him. It won’t be good for him.”

“Dad, Chris isn’t _confused._ He loves Buck, and fuck, I do, too. So much.”

Ramon shook his head, looking back up at Eddie. It was hard for the firefighter to see through the tears welling in his eyes. 

“Listen, mijo, you do what you will. But for my sake, for your mother’s, do not tell anyone else. Not yet, Edmundo.”

“Why?” Eddie’s voice was broken, choked up.

“Because nothing can ever be the same if you do.”

“Dad, nothing is the same already.”

“Not for you, son. You’re life isn’t here, you can come and go as you please. But your mother and I must stay here, we live with it. What will people think?”

Eddie was openly crying now. “Dad, the only reason I’m doing this is _because_ of you. When you meet the right person, you go the distance, right? Buck is the right person for me. I’m going to marry him.”

Ramon moved towards the door. “We will always love you, son, but we have lives here, and you can’t change ours because you see fit. This isn’t just about you.”

When Ramon left the room, Eddie collapsed onto the bed, crying. It was in that position his mother found him five minutes later, having been directed to the room by Ramon. The coming out went about the same; once Eddie had stopped crying, he spent a few minutes in silent panic, made worse by his father’s reaction, before he finally got out the words. His mother stared at him with the same look of shock and confusion, holding her hand on his shoulder as a quiet took over the room. 

“Eddie. . . I’m not sure what to say. I’m not living in the past, I know that times have changed- anything goes these days. I read the newspapers, and I watch TV. But I don’t know anybody. . .”

Eddie wasn’t crying yet, which was an improvement, but he acutely felt it when his mom removed her hand from his shoulder. 

“All that lying, Eddie. . . I know why you did it, I can understand that, I think, but still. You lied to us. And a wedding, Eddie? To _Buck?_ ”

“Mom, _please,_ I just want you gave Adriana and Sophia. A big, important wedding where I can celebrate how much I love Buck. I want to get married to him. And now you’re asking my hide from my own family?”

“If you tell them, it will hurt your father.” His mother’s words were pinched out of her pursed lips and tense posture.

The tears were back. “And if I don’t, it will hurt _me_ , mom. What would you do?”

Helena sighed, shaking her head. “I don’t know.”

Eddie made quick work of wiping the tears off of his face, trying his best to look as presentable as possible, then left his mom sitting in her room as he made his way downstairs and into the kitchen. Ramon was chopping vegetables at the counter, Adriana standing off to his side, mixing something together. Ramon shot him a look, one that had Eddie looking down at the ground. 

“Dios mío, will someone please tell me what is going on?” Adriana exclaimed, looking between them. 

“You really want to know?” Eddie said, coming towards his sister. 

“Yes! I want to know!”

The words were on the tip of his tongue. It would be so easy for him to say it. To open his life to his little sister. 

“The married woman and I broke up,” Eddie stated, as stiffly and calmly as he could. He didn’t look at his father, and Ramon spared no glance to him. Adriana smirked.

“Knew I was right about that.”

Eddie didn’t contain his eye roll. 

“How come?” she asked, kinder and sympathetic this time. 

“She decided to stick with her husband,” Eddie gritted out. Adriana winced. 

“Oh, hermano, lo siento. But she sounds like kind of a bitch, I’m sure you dodged a bullet. Besides, you wouldn’t want to spend the rest of your life living a lie.”

His poor sister’s words were so genuine. Eddie stared at their father’s back. 

“Sometimes you have to,” Eddie spit out before turning and leaving the kitchen. 

When he made it out to the living room, Christopher was waiting for him. His son made his way over to him slowly on his crutches. He hugged his father tightly. Against Eddie’s abdomen, quietly, he said, “I called Buck. He’s waiting outside.”

It was almost enough to make Eddie cry again. He loved his son so damn much. Eddie nodded, pulling Chris off of him. Sitting on the couch, Sophia was watching him with a kind and careful eye. He nodded to her, but said nothing as he and Chris moved to the front door. Pulling back on their shoes and the denim jack Chris had deposited, they walked out the front door, not even bothering to say goodbye to anyone. Just as Chris said, the truck was waiting at the curb, windows down so Eddie could see Buck beating out what he was sure was the wrong tempo to whatever song on the steering wheel. Just the sight of him, nothing changed, as bright and wonderful as ever, made Eddie release a smile. He smiled at them when they climbed into the truck, and Chris immediately moved to put on his headphones. Eddie knew Buck was watching him with concern as he buckled his seatbelt. 

“So?”

“So.”

“You did it.”

“I did.”

“Are you okay?”

Eddie thought for a minute, staring out the windshield. “Well, I think it’s safe to say that they are not coming to the wedding.”

Buck looked sad, and Eddie knew his eyes were trailing the leftover tear stains on his cheeks and the redness of his eyes. 

“Baby, I’m so sorry.”

Eddie nodded. “Still. I told them. And I lied to my sister. But I told them, and even though it was fucking awful, it still feels like a weight off my chest, you know?”

“I know.”

He heard Buck sigh, and Eddie looked at him. Buck looked hesitant, and slightly nervous. The sun was glinting off the ring sitting perfectly on Buck’s left ring finger. 

“Listen, Eddie. . . If you change your mind about getting married. . . I’m okay with that. I understand.”

“Change my- Evan, why the hell would I change my mind about marrying you?” It hurt Eddie to even think about.

“Eds, I know how important your family is to you.”

“Buck, _you_ are my family. The 118 is my family. Maddie, and Karen, and Carla. Besides, they’re not the ones marrying you. I am. I told you I was going to do this right with you, and I meant it. So don’t ever think otherwise, okay?”

Buck smiled softly, leaning across the seats to pull Eddie into a kiss. “Ready to go home?”

“God, _please_.”

The ride home was made almost entirely with Buck’s hand in his, squeezing reassurances and planting kisses across the knuckles every time Eddie sniffled, stared out the window as a way to try and blink out tears, or was too in his head to realize his fiancé or son had asked a question. It was still early evening when they arrived home, but Eddie went straight to his and Buck’s bedroom, pulling off clothes until he was left in his boxers and crawling under the covers. For an hour or two, he could hear Buck and Chris moving around the house, talking quietly or clanging things in the kitchen. Buck came into the darkened room, his voice filling the air softly. 

“Eds, I brought you some food. Just a grilled cheese- Chris’ request.”

Before Eddie could even try to reject it, Buck interrupted with, “I know you haven’t eaten anything, so don’t bother. I’m gonna force you to eat it one way or another.”

Eddie sighed, but sat up anyway, taking the plate Buck was offering him. His fiancé sat beside him on the bed as he ate, a silent but comforting presence next to him. When Eddie finished, he set the plate on the nightstand and moved to lie back down. Buck moved, too, so his back was against a pillow and the headboard, his legs stretched out in front of him. He pulled on Eddie until the older man was resting with his head pillowed on Buck’s thighs. Eddie closed his eyes as he got comfortable, one arm thrown over Buck’s legs and the other worming its way behind Buck’s back to wrap around his waist. Buck’s right hand was resting on Eddie’s back, while his left, adorned with his ring, ran through Eddie’s hair. The faint pressure of the ring on his scalp was far more enjoyable than Eddie cared to admit. Buck knew Eddie just needed to wallow, to maybe cry some more, and to feel loved. They’d talk about what exactly had happened in the morning, Eddie knew, but for now he was content to let Buck lull him to sleep in the comfort of their bedroom. 

As he began to doze off, he could hear Buck humming lightly and the sound of Chris’ crutches in the hallway. He could smell the faint but ever there smoke smell that reminded him of the job he adored and the team that awaited them there. He knew if he opened his eyes, he’d see the pile of baby gifts Buck was amassing for his sister and the unborn twins. All of it was there, reminding him that even if these people weren’t related to him by blood, they were his family. A family that loved him and accepted him regardless of who he loved or what he did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The ring Eddie gave Buck: https://www.fascinatingdiamonds.com/jewelry/anniversary-gifts-with-white-diamond-in-14k-black-gold/3-stone-mens-black-gold-wedding-ring/4447p11m0s0c


	4. Chapter Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Thank you. For doing this.”
> 
> “Taking care of your nieces? Eds, we both know that is absolutely not a problem. Those little princesses could ask me to drive off a cliff and I’d do it for them.”
> 
> Eddie smiled, but shook his head as he took a few steps closer to Buck. “No. I mean, yeah, but no. Thanks for being willing to go along with this stupid lie. I know it’s not easy for you.”
> 
> Buck reached a hand up, holding Eddie’s cheek in his palm. “It’s not easy for you. And I’m not going to make that harder for you. So whatever you need, I’m here, okay?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is an AU based on the 2015 movie Jenny's Wedding! There are quotes taken directly from the film, and almost all plot points are taken from the film. I do not own the plot, characters, or ideas from either the movie or the show!
> 
> Beware before you read of mild homo/biphobia, talks of religious views, mentions of affairs, coming out scenes, and confrontations with family members. If any readers find tags that they would like me to add, please comment so I can put them on!
> 
> (also for the sake of the story making any sense, I ask that readers completely ignore the actual amount of time it would take to get from LA to El Paso and pretend it only takes a few hours)

Eddie supposed he had been lucky these past weeks. There had been no phone calls or texts about his and Christopher’s sudden disappearance from the anniversary party. In fact, he hadn’t heard from his family at all, really. They’d never all been super close, so the lack of contact all seemed fairly normal. Adriana, of all people, was the last one he’d heard from. And, as the excitement of their engagement faded to more of a happy buzz, everything else seemed to be getting back to normal, too. Carla took Chris back and forth to school while Eddie and Buck were on shift, their 118 team was the same well-oiled machine out on calls, and Chimney was freaking out and ranting like it was still his and Maddie’s first pregnancy- it was, surprisingly, only Buck that could calm him down when he began ranting, reminding his brother-in-law that Chimney had already proved that he was an amazing father. 

It was November now, two months since Eddie had asked Buck to marry him. Winter in LA was a bit of a joke- lower temps than Texas, but still warmer than the rest of the country- but the colder weather was a welcome addition. There was a spike in tourism, those seeking reprieve from their northern winters, but city residents also tended to stay inside more since, in Bobby and Buck’s words, they “weren’t able to handle cold”. Even with the holiday season approaching, it was a slower time of year for the firefighters, which everyone on the team was grateful for. Eddie was currently lounging on one of the couches, trying and failing to read a book while Buck and Hen sat on the other, shouting at each other over their video game. He heard Hen exclaim, and without even looking up from the same sentence he’d read three times now, he spoke. 

“That’s a foul, Buck. You can’t shove the other player.”

He heard Buck make a sound that was somewhere in between a scoff and a gasp, and Hen let out a loud “Ha!”

“Eddie, what the hell. You’re supposed to be on my side, here. What happened to for better or for worse?”

Eddie rolled his eyes. “First of all, we’re not married yet, babe. Second, respect the rules of the game or you deserve it when Hen pushes you straight off Rainbow Road.”

Eddie attempted to ignore his fiancé’s protests and Hen’s cheering, wanting to go back to his book. He was interrupted, though, by the sound of his phone ringing in his pocket. Blindly, he fished it out, swiping to answer it without really looking. 

“Eddie Diaz speaking.”

_ “Eddie, sweetheart, it’s me.” _

Eddie frowned, setting his novel down and standing up from the couch. 

“Mom?”

He didn’t miss the glance Buck shot his way, but he ignored it. Eddie moved over to the edge of the balcony, leaning against the railing and staring out to the truck bay as he heard his mom confirm that it was her. 

“What’s up, mom?”

_ “Is this a bad time, honey?” _

Eddie huffed a small laugh. “I’m at work, and the bell could ring at any moment, so I guess there’s not much of a  _ good  _ time. Did you need something?”

His mom sounded awkward and tense on the other side of the phone.  _ “Oh, you know, I was just calling to talk to you. How- how are things?” _

“Things are fine, mom,” Eddie frowned a little, both in confusion and frustration. They had never been a family of simply calling to catch up on stuff. “How are things with you?”

He wasn’t sure why he was playing along with this. 

_ “Fine, fine,” _ Helena answered.  _ “And Christopher? He’s well?” _

“Yeah, mom. He’s- at school right now.”

There was an uncomfortable silence lapsing between them, and Eddie ran a hand over his face, stopping over his mouth to stifle a sigh from coming across the phone call.

_ “So!” _ his mom broke the tension, a bit too cheerily.  _ “Have you talked to your sister? Adriana mentioned that she and Dean were going to do a weekend getaway, asked us to watch the girls. But your father and I have to be at a retirement party for Lucinda- you remember her, don’t you? Anyway, I suppose they’ll ask Dean’s parents.” _

Eddie sighed, “She asked me, mom. Santa Clarita’s only a half hour away, so they’ll drop Charlie and Izzy off on their way out.”

It was next weekend that his sister would be dropping the kids off. Eddie was, unfortunately, working for most of the time, but Buck had it off. His fiancé was planning to take the girls and Chris out to the zoo, maybe a museum or two. 

His mother hummed.  _ “I suppose. You are good with them.” _

Eddie closed his eyes, breathing deeply. “It’s Buck they love, mom. He’s great with kids. He’s proved that with Chris for six years straight.”

His mom didn’t seem to care, though, changing the subject with,  _ “It’s Thanksgiving next week.” _

“Yep.”

_ “Soph is planning on coming to visit your father and I. Probably Adriana, too. What about you, should we expect you?” _

Eddie frowned. “Mom, I never come home for Thanksgiving. We barely even celebrate Thanksgiving- it’s just an extra excuse for dad to watch football.”

His mom hummed again. 

“Buck, Chris, and I will probably just spend the time with friends, or go visit Abuela and Pepa.”

His mom sounded surprised as she asked,  _ “You’re going to bring Buck around your aunt and grandmother?” _

Eddie felt like bile was slowly rising up his throat; this was probably the most awkward conversation he’d ever had with his mother. “Yeah, mom. And before you start- I had told them before dad decided that I needed to keep lying to everybody about this.”

_ “Eddie, he’s not asking you to lie-” _

“That’s exactly what he’s asking. Don’t tell anyone because it’ll ruin  _ your  _ lives.”

_ “Edmundo. . .” _

“Look, mom, I gotta go. Call you later, okay?”

Eddie didn’t have to be anywhere; the bell hadn’t rung, the chores were done, and Bobby was only just now starting on making lunch. He just really didn’t want to go through this conversation. 

_ “Okay. I love you.” _

Really, they were going to be that type of mother-son relationship now? 

“Love you, too, mom. Bye.” Eddie ran his hands over his face again, careful not to drop his phone. He wasn’t sure how long he stood there before he felt a familiar hand on his shoulder. He stood up from his slouched over position to look back at Buck. He was fitting Eddie with a worried stare, but Eddie mustered up a smile. 

“Hey.”

“You good?”

Eddie knew his smile was more of a grimace than anything, but he nodded nonetheless. “Just my mom trying to. . . Well, I don’t know what she was doing.”

Buck just nodded, then nodded his head back towards where Hen was waiting with a control in her hand. “Since I apparently don’t “respect that game”, wanna come kick Hen’s ass for me?”

Eddie’s smile was more genuine, thankful that Buck always seemed to know what he needed to talk about it or when he needed a distraction. Eddie nodded, allowing Buck to take his hand and pull him over to the couches. 

Hen, it seemed, was just a freaky Mario Kart master, because she obliterated Eddie at the game as well. It made him understand why Buck had resorted to illegal tactics of pushing to try and win the game. Even with the encouragement of Buck pressed up next to him, cheering him on as he attempted to speed into at least second place, Eddie was losing. Eddie wasn’t even bad at the game- Hen was just freakishly good. They stayed on the couches like that, Chim coming up to cheer Hen on after finishing restocking the ambulance, until Bobby called them over to the table for lunch. They’d amassed a pretty good crowd of firefighters to watch their Mario Kart tournament, during which Eddie only beat Hen one on a set of races. But as he walked over to the table, Eddie knew he was doing so with a smile on his face. 

\----------

As per usual, the Buckley-Diaz household was a bit of a chaotic mess. Eddie was running a little bit later for work than he’d wanted- even though Buck reminded him that he’d probably still be a half an hour early- Chris was taking his sweet time to eat breakfast, and Buck was running around doing last minute cleaning, baby proofing, and hiding basically anything that made it look like Buck and Eddie were a couple. It was the morning of Adriana and Dean dropping off their daughters so the two of them could get out of town for the weekend. “Celebrating Thanksgiving,” his sister had said. For the Buckley-Diazes, the holiday had passed, as expected, uneventfully. They’d stayed in, making phone calls to the team and their families, and Buck had insisted on cooking a turkey for dinner. That had been about it, though. 

Adriana and Dean would be here soon, hopefully arriving just before Eddie had to speed out for work. Eddie frowned as he entered the kitchen, finding Chris sitting at the breakfast nook with an empty glass with orange juice remnants, an open box of cereal, and his almost finished bowl of said cereal all sitting in front of the still-in-pajamas 13 year old. 

“Christopher, ¿qué haciendo? Your cousins will be here soon, go clean up. ¿Por favor?”

Chris frowned a little bit, but nodded, slowly standing up and walking on wobbly legs to deposit his dishes in the dishwasher and put away the cereal. Eddie pressed a kiss to Chris’ ever growing and untameable curls as his son passed, which earned him a smile. Buck was in the living room, folding up the throw blanket they’d thrown haphazardly over the armchair last night. The living room looked odd, and Eddie hated it. He hated that the large picture of the three of them, the one where they looked undoubtedly like a family, that usually hung on the wall was missing, now tucked in their bedroom. A new frame that had taken space on the TV stand of Eddie and Buck slow dancing at their engagement party was also missing. The drawing Chris had made them for their first anniversary- the three of them holding hands under a bright yellow sun and captioned in careful handwriting “Me and my Dads”- was no longer propped up on the bookshelf. Every trace that they were any more than roommates was gone. It was awful. 

Buck smiled at him, looking sympathetic to Eddie’s frazzled state. He knew the rush of trying to get ready for work in the morning and the mistrust of LA traffic to let him be on time. Eddie watched the other firefighter as Buck laid the blanket carefully over the back of the couch. 

“Thank you. For doing this.”

“Taking care of your nieces? Eds, we both know that is absolutely not a problem. Those little princesses could ask me to drive off a cliff and I’d do it for them.”

Eddie smiled, but shook his head as he took a few steps closer to Buck. “No. I mean, yeah, but no. Thanks for being willing to go along with this stupid lie. I know it’s not easy for you.”

Buck reached a hand up, holding Eddie’s cheek in his palm. “It’s not easy for  _ you.  _ And I’m not going to make that harder for you. So whatever you need, I’m here, okay?”

“What did I do to deserve you?” Eddie mumbled, gripping the wrist of Buck’s hand lightly. Buck just smiled brightly, and Eddie couldn’t help but kiss him. 

It was only 30 seconds or so after they pulled away from each other’s lips that they heard the sound of a car horn out in the driveway. A quick glance out the window showed him his sister’s car sitting there, Adriana already getting out to help the kids. Dean stayed in his position in the driver’s seat, looking bored as his wife wrangled her toddler with one hand and the baby carrier in the other. Eddie met her at the door, greeting his stressed out sister with a smile and a hand to take Izzy’s carrier. She sighed out with relief as he did so, looking grateful. Charlie barely greeted him before running passed her uncle to where Buck was standing behind him. 

“Hey, Adriana,” Eddie said, carefully shifting his niece so he could give his sister a one armed hug. 

“Muchas gracias, hermano. I’m sorry for dumping them on you like this, I know you have to work.” Eddie waved her off as she handed him a large bag. “Okay, this is Izzy’s diaper bag, and it’s doubling as Charlie’s toy bag, too. I think I packed everything.”

Before Eddie could say anything more, Dean honked the car horn loudly, causing the firefighter to shoot his brother-in-law a glare. Adriana looked back at her husband, then Eddie again. “Shit, okay, I have to go. Thank you again, and you, too, Buck. Charlie, Iz, mommy loves you and I’ll see you tomorrow night, okay?”

Charlie called a goodbye and love to her mom, but was already sufficiently distracted by Buck and Christopher, who had wandered into the room now dressed while Adriana said her goodbyes. Eddie watched from the doorway as his youngest sister got back to the car, waving as she and Dean drove off. Eddie shut the door, turning to step into the living room. As he carefully set Izzy down by where Buck was set on the floor, he mumbled to himself “El cabrón. . .”

Buck caught his eye with a smirk and raised eyebrow at his words, but Eddie pursed his lips and waved him off. “Okay, I’m off, too, or I’ll be late. I’ll see you all tonight, okay?”

Eddie went around, depositing kisses on the cheeks of all the kids and gripping Buck’s shoulder on his way back to the door. 

“You guys have fun. Charlie, don’t give Buck too much trouble, okay, sobrina?”

The little girl giggled and nodded, waving back as Eddie blew a kiss to her. He called out one last goodbye to his family as he grabbed his bag, slipping out the door and to his truck. 


	5. Chapter Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Adriana knows,” Ramon interrupted. Eddie frowned, wracking his brain. 
> 
> “Knows what?”
> 
> “About you. And Buck.”
> 
> Shit. That certainly wasn’t what he expected.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is an AU based on the 2015 movie Jenny's Wedding! There are quotes taken directly from the film, and almost all plot points are taken from the film. I do not own the plot, characters, or ideas from either the movie or the show!
> 
> Beware before you read of mild homo/biphobia, talks of religious views, mentions of affairs, coming out scenes, and confrontations with family members. If any readers find tags that they would like me to add, please comment so I can put them on!
> 
> (also for the sake of the story making any sense, I ask that readers completely ignore the actual amount of time it would take to get from LA to El Paso and pretend it only takes a few hours)

It was Wednesday now, three days after their weekend with Adriana’s kids. Buck and Eddie were both working at the firehouse, finishing up some chores after lunch. It had been a busy few days, so they were hoping to get these done before the bell went off next. Buck was off with Chim, restocking the supply closet and taking inventory. Hen was cleaning the ambulance, some of the probies were washing the trucks, and Eddie was busy wrapping up the hoses. It was normally a two person job, but Dylans had called in sick, so Eddie was by himself. He turned out to be grateful for it, however, when he felt his phone going off in his pocket. He pulled it out, surprised to be receiving a FaceTime call from his father, of all people. Eddie answered it with a frown. 

“Papi, you okay?”

Ramon gave a single nod on the other end, and Eddie could see how his father’s jaw was tense. 

“Okay? Um, well, not that I don’t want to talk to you, but can we make this quick? It’s been a busy few days- you won’t believe some of the calls we’ve gotten. We got back from a four car pile up only about-”

_ “Adriana knows,”  _ Ramon interrupted. Eddie frowned, wracking his brain. 

“Knows what?”

_ “About you. And Buck.” _

Shit. That certainly wasn’t what he expected. It explained the set of his father’s jaw and the strange look in his eyes. He hadn’t spoken to his father much lately. There was an odd phone call here or there, and his father never sounded angry with him. Just different. Eddie wasn’t sure how to explain it, really. They were civil, and if it wasn’t for the underlying tension and strange looks his father gave him, he wouldn’t be able to tell that anything had changed. 

When Eddie offered no response to the shock of his father’s words, Ramon continued. 

_ “She saw you, when she dropped the girls off. Said that you and Buck had kissed, and that she saw from outside. Edmundo, she is very upset about being lied to.” _

It was all Eddie could do to nod to his words. Of course Adriana was upset. He would be, too. But this wasn’t on Eddie. He had been fully prepared to tell her. He was about to say as much to his father when he caught Ramon letting out a deep breath, looking strangely vulnerable on the other side of the video call. 

_ “Edmundo, I know. I got it wrong. But, mijo, your mother and I have waited so long for your  _ wedding _. You and Shannon were married in a courthouse, it wasn’t proper. We have always wanted for you to have what is proper. And now. . . Edmundo, what are we to do? Where can you even be married to Buck? The church will not allow it.” _

Eddie knew that if he wasn’t careful, he would start crying in the firehouse. He moved until he was leaning against the wall by the lockers, his throat thick and breathing shaking. 

“That doesn’t mean God won’t, dad. Please-”

_ “I’m sorry, Edmundo. You’re mother and I, we love you, but we don’t know what we’re doing when it comes to this.” _

Eddie was tempted to hang up. “And you think I do? You don’t think this is hard for me? For years, I had this weight on me, and I didn’t know what to do with it all. But, papi, I don’t have a choice in this! This is who I am, and I know you and mom want to pretend that this isn’t happening. But I can’t. I love Buck, and I want to marry him. And I. . . I’m not lying about who I am anymore, dad. Not to anyone. Not for you, and not for mom. The weight of this will kill me if I don’t, dad. You and mom, you will have to make up your minds about me rather than dodging this all the time, or trying to fix it with stupid phone calls about nothing! I’m marrying Buck, and if you can’t handle that, it’s  _ your  _ problem, okay? I’m done.”

Eddie didn’t give himself time to think about the actual tears he saw in his father’s eyes before he hung up the call. In a swift movement, he slipped down the wall, sitting on the floor with his knees tucked up to his chest. He knew his conversation had gotten louder than he planned, and he could feel other firefighters staring at him. He wasn’t sure he could care even if he tried. God, he couldn’t believe he’d just done that. He’d exploded at his father in a way he’d never done before. Essentially cut them off if they couldn’t accept him. Part of it felt good. Like he was doing something right, like part of that weight was off his shoulders. He was being true to himself, damnit, proud of who he was. That’s what Ramon had taught him to be growing up. The other part felt like an elephant on his chest, crushing him with feelings of sadness and pain. He couldn’t-  _ wouldn’t _ \- cry in the firehouse. 

As Eddie took deep breaths, trying to calm himself down, he felt a hand on his shoulder. He snapped up, eyes meeting the worry-filled, compassionate brown eyes of Hen. She was silently asking him if he was okay, he knew. Eddie opened his mouth, but nothing came out. So instead, he just shook his head. The paramedic gave a saddened sigh, nodding in understanding. She and Buck were the only two in the firehouse who could begin to understand what Eddie was feeling right now. Eddie watched as his friend didn’t say anything, but sat down beside him. She reached out to take Eddie’s hand in hers, squeezing reassuringly. The firehouse around them went back to work, and Eddie and Hen just sat there. They were like that when the bell rang, calling them out to the next emergency, and it was only then that they moved. Hen and Eddie made it into their turn-out gear in record time, the advantage of being right next to the lockers. Eddie was silent as he climbed into the truck. Buck took his usual spot next to him soon after, but he stiffened a bit when he caught sight of Eddie. 

“Eds? What’s wrong? What happened?”

The concern and care lacing Buck’s tone was almost enough to make Eddie smile. 

“I’ll tell you after,” Eddie promised. Buck was hesitant to agree, but he nodded, reaching over to take Eddie’s hand. Eddie was grateful that they had gotten a call. It allowed him to focus on something else for a while, to do what he did best and help people. He didn’t have to think about his parents, or the fact that now he really needed to tell Sophia. Or that he was going to have to have a very difficult conversation with Adriana very soon. 

\----------

The silence over the phone line was killing him, but really, Eddie didn’t know what to say. He’d called Sophia after getting home from his shift, putting her on speaker as Buck sat next to him, holding his hand tightly in support. He’d gotten it out quickly. He’d just come out to his sister, and the only thing she’d said was “I know.”

“You knew? What the hell do you mean you knew? For how long?”

Sophia sighed over the phone,  _ “Since you were in high school. I figured out you were with Buck when you brought him to my wedding.”  _

Jesus. He and Buck had only been together three months then. 

“Well, then why were you trying to set me up with all those girls?”

Sophia was quiet for a minute,  _ “Mami and papi, they kept insisting. I’m sorry, Eddie.” _

That Eddie could definitely believe. He looked over at Buck, who was staring at him with love and comfort. With a squeeze to the younger’s hand, Eddie told his sister, “Soph, Buck and I are getting married.”

_ “Oh. Oh, wow.” _

“Mom and dad, they’re. . . Well, they’re not coming to the wedding. We’re sending out invitations in a few days, and you’ll get one, but you don’t have to come if you don’t want to. It’s fine-”

_ “Edmundo Diaz, stop talking stupid. Why wouldn’t I want to come to your wedding?” _

Eddie scoffed a little, “Soph, come on. Out of the three of us, you were always the one who was most traditional. You have the same values as mom and dad.”

Sophia was quiet for a minute, before her voice once again filled the air.  _ “Maybe. But you forget all those summers I spent with Abuela. She’s traditional, too, Eddie, but I bet she supports you and Buck 100%, yes?” _

“Yeah.”

_ “Well, so do I. You’re my big brother, and I stand by you forever. I love you, and I love Buck. Nothing will change that. So I am coming to your wedding, Eddie. Nothing could ever stop me.” _

Eddie’s smile was wide and he could feel Buck pressing a kiss to his shoulder. “Te amo, hermanita.”

The three of them chatted for a little while longer, Buck and Eddie answering questions about wedding planning. Really, they were doing nothing. Athena, Maddie, and Karen had told them not to worry about a single thing. They’d basically just been dragged along to various things to input opinions and make final decisions. Despite the fact that the wedding wasn’t for another five months- Buck insisted that it be late enough for Maddie to have recovered from the twins’ upcoming birth- they’d already chosen a cake, color scheme, venue, and invitations were printed and ready to be sent. Bobby had already gotten ordained for Chim and Maddie’s wedding, and offered his services before they could even ask. Surprisingly, they’d paid for very little of it. Maddie’s engagement gift to them was a good chunk of the money she’d been left when Doug died. For a long time, she hadn’t touched it. Then, she and Chim had decided to use it when it came to their wedding. They needed money, and as the lawyer had told her- it was rightfully Maddie’s. Then, most of it was set aside for Joy and now the twins. Now, a portion would go to Eddie and Buck, to help pay for her baby brother’s wedding. Both firefighters had tried to reject the gift, but Maddie was insistent. She was determined to put all of it to good use, and she had inarguably deemed them a worthy cause. Buck and Eddie were sure they would never be able to thank her enough for that.

After wedding talk had ceased, Sophia asked after Christopher, and they were regaled with stories about Diego. With every word, Eddie felt more at ease about everything. His relationship with his parents may be a dumpster fire, and after they were done with Sophia, Eddie really needed to talk to Adriana, but at least things were good with one of his family members. It was comforting to know that if nothing else, he had Abuela, Pepa, and Sophia on his side. 

\----------

It wasn’t until the next day, when Eddie wasn’t working a shift, that he worked up the courage to talk to Adriana. Buck was off too, and Chris was at school. Buck had offered to come with him to Santa Clarita to see his youngest sister, but Eddie had rolled his eyes. Maddie was due in only a couple weeks now, and the Buckley siblings hadn’t been able to spend much time together recently. So Eddie had sent Buck off to his sister’s with a kiss, dropped Chris off at school, and made the drive out to his sister’s house. He was sitting in the driveway, nervous. He took deep breaths, trying to remind himself that as far as he knew, Adriana wasn’t mad at him for being bi, or being with Buck. It was the lying that she was upset about. 

Finally, he made his way out of the car and up the door. He took silent note of the squeaky wooden steps and the tear in the screen of the outermost door. It would probably only take an hour or two to fix, really. Dean, who claimed he was good at hardware stuff and liked doing things like that, had lived here for four years now. 

Eddie pressed the doorbell once, quickly, then stepped back. Only a moment later, the inner door opened, and Eddie was met with the stressed, tired face of his sister. She wore sweatpants and an old high school shirt that Eddie thought she might have stolen from him, and her dark, bushy curls were gathered in a messy ponytail. She pursed her lips as she saw him, but stepped outside, facing him on the front stoop. 

“So?” she snapped, raising an eyebrow at him. 

“I’m sorry,” Eddie breathed out, trying to meet his sister’s eye. 

“For what, being the favorite?”

Eddie frowned, confused. “Favori- what? Adriana, I’m not the favorite.”

His sister scoffed, shaking her head. “You think you’d be getting away with all of this if you weren’t?”

Eddie felt anger rise in his stomach. God, he really hadn’t come here to start a fight. “What the fuck do you mean getting away with it? I’m not- this isn’t some fucking stunt because I’m sick of getting set up, Adriana. I love Buck. So I’m not getting away with  _ anything _ , and I’m damn well not anybody’s favorite. If I was before, I’m sure not anymore.”

Adriana stared at him with a glare, arms crossed. 

“Look, Adriana, I didn’t come here for a fight. I just wanted to say. . . I’m sorry for not telling you. I was going to, but dad- he couldn’t. . . They couldn’t handle it. So I lied.”

“Eddie, you’re my brother! Why didn’t you tell me years ago?”

Eddie frowned, looking at the steps below them. “I love you, but Adriana, you’re almost seven years younger than me. We were never really the siblings who told each other everything. If you were looking for secrets, you went to Soph and we both know it. And don’t forget- instead of just  _ talking  _ to me when you saw me and Buck, you went straight to  _ dad.”  _

Adriana stared at him for a minute. He thought he saw guilt in her eyes; he was pissed that she had basically tattled on him to their father. Who the hell had given her the right to tell their parents any of his private life? Then, Adriana nodded. 

“Fair enough.”

Eddie nodded, “Can I come in?”

“No,” she snapped. After a moment, “Dean’s asleep and you’ll over-excite the kids.” 

Eddie nodded; he could understand that. It was something he and Buck had had to work through when Buck began coming over in the mornings. 

“But have a seat, I guess,” his sister let out, sharply gesturing down to the steps with residual anger. Eddie twitched a smile, complying. Adriana sat next to him on the middle step, so they were facing out towards the yard and street. They were quiet a minute, before Eddie let out a breath and glanced at his sister. 

“So, I did, um- I had a question for you.”

Adriana looked at him expectantly, and though her face said anger, Eddie knew his sister too well. He could see the anger evaporating from her eyes, replaced with the love he was usually shown by his baby sister. Even when they fought, he loved her with everything he had. 

“So Chris is my best man, of course, but I was wondering- I want you and Sophia to be my groomsmen, I guess. Groomsmaids? Whatever, I just want you both up there with me.”

Adriana looked at him with surprise. “You. . . you want me to be in your wedding party?”

Eddie frowned, huffing a laugh. “Yeah, yeah, of course. I was in yours, and you’re my sister. I can’t imagine doing this without you guys.”

His youngest sister was smiling brightly at him, but as she opened her mouth to speak, they were interrupted with Charlie shouting “Dad!” inside the house. Adriana stood up, looking back at her house. 

“Shit, Eddie, I should probably go back inside, but I’ll- I’ll call you later, okay?”

Eddie nodded, standing up himself. Adriana paused as she put her hand on the door, looking back at him. 

“You and Buck- how long have you been together?”

“Three years,” Eddie smiled. 

Adriana smiled at him, nodding. “When I saw you guys kissing, you looked really. . . happy.”

Eddie felt himself blush a little, smiling down at his feet. He nodded as he looked back up at his sister, but she was no longer looking at him. He followed her gaze out to the lawn. 

“That grass is completely dead,” she mumbled. Eddie frowned. 

“Yeah? I mean, it is winter.”

“No, but. . . It’s  _ always _ dead. Even in the summer.”

Eddie was trying to come up with a reply for his sister. She suddenly seemed so focused on the grass, and he frankly had no clue why. Before he sorted out his thoughts, though, Charlie’s voice from inside was once again calling out to her father. That seemed to snap Adriana out of whatever was so fascinating with the grass, and her hand gripped the door handle once again. 

“I have to go. Bye, hermano, I love you.”

“Love you, too, Adriana.” 

Eddie was left on the doorstep for a moment, listening to his sister calling out to her husband as she entered the house. Eddie once again felt another chunk of that weight coming off his shoulders. Day by day, it was easier for him to breath, it seemed. With a smile, Eddie walked back to his truck to go home.


	6. Chapter Six

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I want that.”
> 
> Eddie looked at him, seeing the vulnerability and nervousness in Buck’s eyes. 
> 
> “You want a baby?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is an AU based on the 2015 movie Jenny's Wedding! There are quotes taken directly from the film, and almost all plot points are taken from the film. I do not own the plot, characters, or ideas from either the movie or the show!
> 
> Beware before you read of mild homo/biphobia, talks of religious views, mentions of affairs, coming out scenes, and confrontations with family members. If any readers find tags that they would like me to add, please comment so I can put them on!
> 
> (also for the sake of the story making any sense, I ask that readers completely ignore the actual amount of time it would take to get from LA to El Paso and pretend it only takes a few hours)

They were in the hospital. Three days before Christmas. Not because anyone was hurt, thank god, but because after nine long months for all of them, Maddie had gone into labor. It was early afternoon, and they’d been there for two hours. Everyone had come to the hospital straight after their 24 hour shift. Well, Chim had left long before that, as soon as he’d been called by a much calmer than himself Maddie, who had kindly asked him to get to the hospital as soon as humanly possible. The rest of the team and their respective families were all sitting in the waiting room, clearly taking up far more space than the nurses appreciated. All the kids were at school, save for Joy, who was sat on her uncle Buck’s lap, playing with the ring on his finger. Eddie admired how calm his fiancé was being; Buck had been monumentally freaking out the first time, pacing a trench in the waiting room as he radiated worry for his sister. This time though, he was being much calmer. Eddie laughed at the incessant bounce of Buck’s leg that let slip the worry he was still feeling, though, which seemed to annoy Joy enough that the two year old slipped off his lap and climbed up onto Albert’s instead.

Eddie withheld a giggle at the betrayed look on Buck’s face as his niece left him, reaching out to pat his knee comfortingly. Athena came into the room, carrying way more coffee than any of them needed, but they all smiled in appreciation for the drink. It was kind of silly for them to all be here, but Maddie had insisted that their family be there when Joy was born- going so far as to call and yell at anyone who wasn't there yet _while she was in labor_ \- so they all knew it was the best choice to make sure everyone was present this time around, too. Buck said that his sister was so insistent because neither of them had any blood relatives. The Buckleys' time in LA had shown them more love and family than they had experienced over most their lives. So despite the fact that regardless of who they saw as family didn't matter to the doctors and only blood relatives- Buck and Albert- would initially be let back to see the newborn twins, the whole group was sat in the maternity ward waiting room. They passed the time, though, playing I-Spy with Joy, talking about the wedding, or taking bets on what the twins’ sexes would be. Chim and Maddie had decided to keep it a surprise, which they hadn’t done with Joy. The team was chatting about what Chim and Maddie may name the new additions to their family when Eddie heard Buck let out a snort next to him. 

“Babe, why is your sister texting me about grass?”

Eddie frowned, “What?”

“Adriana texted me. Said, “you and Eddie live in a house, right?” I said yeah and then she asked me what color the grass is.”

Eddie opened his mouth before closing it again. What was it with Adriana and the grass lately? 

“Oh,” Buck let out, looking down at his phone. 

“What?”

Buck held out his phone so Eddie could read the most recent text from his sister, after he had responded that the grass outside their house was green. 

_ that’s what i thought. happy people don’t have dead grass _

Eddie was even more confused now. Happy people don’t have dead grass? Was she simply comparing their yard to hers? Was this about Dean? 

Before Eddie could think too much on it, he caught sight of Chimney coming into the waiting room. He was wearing scrubs, and he looked exhausted and stressed, but he was smiling widely. Joy ran on wobbly legs to her father as she saw him, and Chim scooped her up, planting a kiss to his daughter’s hair. 

“Hey, sweetie,” the paramedic whispered into his daughter’s almost jet-black hair. “Wanna come meet your brother and sister?”

The group all broke out in smiles and cheers as they heard Chimney’s words. Joy was nodding her head, clapping her little fists excitedly. Chim laughed.

“Okay, sweetheart. Mama’s waiting.” Chim glanced up at the group. “Everyone is healthy and good. No complications, thank god, and they were only 90 seconds apart. They were 5.2 pounds each.”

“What are their names?” Karen asked excitedly.

Chimney smiled, but shook his head. “Actually, Maddie wanted Buck to be able to meet them before we tell you. Albert, you too.”

The two men stood, surprised a little. Last time, Chim couldn’t wait to announce his baby girl’s name. Now, he just smiled, carrying his eldest child in his arms as he led his brother and brother-in-law back to the delivery room. Eddie watched him go with a smile, and about 10 minutes later, Albert was coming back. He had tears in his eyes and a wide smile on his face. 

“You guys can come meet them now.”

It was quite the sight, this large group of first responders all shuffling excitedly down the hallway. Eddie ended up in the front of the group for whatever reason, and when he entered he was met with Maddie looking almost asleep but smiling happy as she held a small blue bundle in her arms, Chim holding Joy in one arm and his wife’s hand in the other, and Buck standing on the other side of the bed, eyes for nothing but the small baby swaddled in pink resting in his arms. As Eddie got closer, he could see that Buck’s eyes were shining as he gazed down at his new niece. Athena pushed through, coming to stand next to Chimney. 

“How you doing, mama?” she asked Maddie, who looked up from her baby boy to smile at the woman who had become both hers and Buck’s pseudo mother over time. 

“These two took a lot out of me, but I’m good. Really happy.”

“Maddie, they are so beautiful,” Hen cooed as he gazed over Buck’s shoulder, gripping Karen’s hand.

“They’re my godchildren,” Albert announced happily, Chim smiling as he clapped his brother’s shoulder in response. Eddie smiled; Hen and Buck had been named Joy’s godparents.

“Do we get to know their names now?” Bobby teased. 

Maddie and Chimney shared a look, smiling as they seamlessly switched out the children they were holding. Joy was now resting next to her mother on the hospital bed, Maddie kissing her hair, and the baby boy was cradled in Chimney’s arms. 

“Everyone, meet Kevin Robert Han.”

God, by the time they were done in here, there wasn’t going to be a dry eye in the room. Everyone knew the story of the man Chimney had thought of as a brother, and how much the paramedic missed him every day. And if that wasn’t enough to make them all cry, it was the slight choking sound Bobby made at hearing his own name. It had become a running gag within the team that they were all competing to see who got to name their kid after Bobby first. Everyone in the room owed so much to the fire captain. They should have known, when Maddie announced her second pregnancy, that Chimney would beat them all to it. Bobby smiled gratefully, gripping Chim’s shoulder in a paternal, thankful gesture. 

“And this one?” Karen asked softly, gazing down at the baby Buck still hadn’t taken his eyes off of. 

“Evangeline Ivy,” Maddie whispered, looking directly at her brother.

And, oh. Now Eddie understood why Buck couldn’t even stop looking at the little girl. They had named her after him. Buck sniffled as he heard the girl’s name, reaching out blindly to take his sister’s hand. Eddie had always been weak for the sight of Buck with a baby, but standing here now, watching him hold his beautiful little namesake, Eddie thought he might explode. He’d thought about what it may be like to have another kid with Buck, but they’d never actually talked about it. Looking at his beautiful, wonderful love of his life, Eddie didn’t think he could hold off the conversation much longer. He didn’t end up having to wait long, however, when Chim requested that Buck allow him to hold his daughter. It seemed to shock back into the present, like he wasn’t sure how long he’d been standing there with her. Buck handed her over with ease, wiping at his eyes as he did so. He looked around the room, his eyes immediately landing on Eddie. A smile tugged at the man’s face as he walked over, putting an arm around Eddie’s waist. 

“Can you believe it?” Buck asked, sounding in awe. Eddie wasn’t sure which part he was talking about, so he just leaned over to press a kiss against Buck’s jaw. The rest of the team moved closer now, all taking turns to hold the newest additions to the family. Eddie stayed back with Buck; he was sure with how much Buck would be dragging him over to the Han household in the next few months while Maddie was on leave that he’d get a chance to hold the twins plenty. So the couple stayed over by the doorway of the large recovery room, holding onto each other as they watched their family. Then, Buck spoke so softly that if Eddie wasn’t so acutely attuned to everything Buck did, he would have missed it. 

“I want that.”

Eddie looked at him, seeing the vulnerability and nervousness in Buck’s eyes. 

“You want a baby?”

Buck bit his lip, nodding. “Don’t get me wrong, I love Chris more than anything. I’m honored that you’re giving me the chance to help raise him, love him like he’s mine. Eds, I’ve always wanted to be a dad. I want to be able to hold a baby, and put them to sleep, and even get up when they’re crying in the middle of the night.”

Eddie pulled his nervous fiancé closer to him. “You’ve never said anything-”

“I know, I’m sorry. It’s just, you know, you have Chris, so I didn’t know if you’d ever want another kid. I should have said something earlier, I know.”

“Buck. Evan, baby, look at me.” He waited until the other did so. Buck looked so anxious, and it broke Eddie’s heart a little bit. He kept his voice low enough that no one else in the room would be able to hear, not that they were paying any attention. “Buck, I am so sorry if I ever made it feel like you couldn’t talk to me about this. And yeah, I’ve got Chris and he’s a great kid, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want to have more children. I would fucking  _ love  _ to raise another kid with you.”

Buck looked hopeful now. “Really?”

Eddie smiled, “Yeah, really. When I say I want a family with you, Buck, I mean it. You, me, our son, and anyone else who might come along. I was gonna talk to you about it when we got home, but- you beat me to it.”

Buck was shining with happiness. He leaned in towards Eddie, pressing feather-light kisses across his cheekbone. “I’m really glad we’re getting married, Eds.”

Eddie smiled at him, returning the kiss to his cheek. “Me, too. Now go cuddle your niece before she declares Albert her favorite uncle.”

Buck’s head snapped to where Albert was bouncing Joy in his arms. The two had decided it was a competition for the young girl’s affections, and that only one of them would ever be the favorite uncle. Joy just loved all the attention. Eddie laughed as Buck moved to where they were standing, beginning to silently argue with Albert over which of them would hold the girl. Karen, it seemed, got the last laugh though, when Joy looked between her two uncles and decided they weren’t worth it right now, holding her arms out for Auntie Karen to take her. The look of pure betrayal on both their faces was priceless. Buck looked back at Eddie for support, but he just held up his hands in mock surrender, silently stating that this was all Buck’s. His fiancé stuck his tongue out at him, which had Eddie fondly rolling his eyes. 

He was saved from his husband-to-be’s antics, however, when Maddie and Chim called him over, asking if he wanted to hold one of the twins. Eddie nodded, smiling as Chim handed over Kevin. He looked down at the sleeping baby, cooing slightly. He was already completely freaking adorable. The baby had been in his arms less than thirty seconds when everyone suddenly turned to look at Buck, who had made a small, choked off noise. Eddie stared at him in question when he found Buck looking right at him. 

“Yeah, I take it all back. Eddie, we definitely cannot have another kid.”

Eddie felt himself frown, and everyone stared at the pair of them in surprise. 

“What? Why?”

“Because if you look that damn good every time you hold a baby I’m seriously never going to survive.”

Eddie, along with the rest of the room, laughed brightly.

“Funny. I was thinking the same thing about you when you were holding Evangeline.”

That had everyone laughing harder, but Buck and Eddie paid them no mind, too busy staring at each other with far more love than seemed humanly possible. Eddie couldn’t wait to raise another child with this man.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is sort of a filler chapter, but I really wanted to show the babies being born because I love Maddie and Chim so much, and also I felt like Eddie needed a break from dealing with his parents! So here's some breathing room because unfortunately, it's gonna get worse before it gets better.


	7. Chapter Seven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eddie glared back, feeling himself begin rising to anger. “How am I hurting him?”
> 
> “By making a scene at a funeral.” 
> 
> Eddie had to stare at her for a minute, mouth open. He was making a scene?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is an AU based on the 2015 movie Jenny's Wedding! There are quotes taken directly from the film, and almost all plot points are taken from the film. I do not own the plot, characters, or ideas from either the movie or the show!
> 
> Beware before you read of mild homo/biphobia, talks of religious views, mentions of affairs, coming out scenes, and confrontations with family members. If any readers find tags that they would like me to add, please comment so I can put them on!
> 
> (also for the sake of the story making any sense, I ask that readers completely ignore the actual amount of time it would take to get from LA to El Paso and pretend it only takes a few hours)

It had been almost a month now since the birth of Kevin and Evie. A little over three months until the wedding. His sisters had been more supportive than ever. Sophia called at least once a week, sometimes just so she could talk to Buck. Since she wasn’t that far away, Adriana had insisted on coming to the tux fittings. She and Maddie had gotten on like a wildfire, and the two grooms had yet to decide if it was a good or bad thing. Christopher had been overjoyed that his aunts now knew about their relationship and that he had new cousins. They’d had lots of fun trying to wrangle the overexcited 13 year old lately. Thank god for Carla. 

Eddie and Buck were working out in between calls. Eddie had taken more pleasure than ever out of the punching bag lately, and Buck was over on the bench press, one of the probies Hen was hoping to train into another paramedic spotting him. Eddie was zoned out as he swung his fists out against the punching bag, letting his mind go blank. It took four tries of Buck calling his name for Eddie to even realize he had said something. He reached out to still the cylindrical bag, panting as he looked to the other firefighter, who was standing by their phones and waters on a nearby bench. Buck was looking at him, Eddie’s phone in his hand. 

“Babe, this is the sixth time your dad has called you in two days. Not to mention the four messages from your mom.”

Eddie nodded his acknowledgement. “I know. I listened to the messages.”

Buck looked at him expectantly. “Is everyone okay?”

Eddie shrugged his shoulders, making his way over to Buck with heavy breaths. After taking a large gulp of his water, he answered Buck, “My parents’ neighbor died. He’d lived by them since before I was born, and they want me to come to the funeral.”

Buck smiled sadly. “Are you going to go?”

Eddie shrugged again. “I don’t know. Mr. Sanchez was my favorite neighbor, but with Chim on paternity leave, I don’t know that we should try heading out of town.”

“When’s the funeral?”

“My mom said it was on Tuesday.”

Buck shrugged, “We _are_ off that day. If you want to go. And since Chris has robotics after school anyway, I’m sure Carla wouldn’t mind taking him home if we aren’t back yet.”

That was how Eddie ended up back in El Paso a few days later, standing with Buck outside of a funeral home. He was dressed in slacks and a nice button down, Buck in something similar. It wasn’t until he looked over at Buck, who was worrying his lip between his teeth, that Eddie realized that he wasn’t the only one nervous about seeing Eddie’s parents. Eddie and Buck had been getting along wonderfully with his sisters, but Buck hadn’t even spoken to Eddie’s parents since before they were engaged. 

“Are you okay?”

Buck let out a sigh, fiddling with the cuff of his shirt sleeve. “I’m nervous. That’s stupid, right? I mean, neither of us care what they think, we’ve established that, but- Geez, I mean, your parents never liked me much anyway, Eddie.” 

Eddie winced inwardly at Buck’s ramblings. He couldn’t believe that in all the time Buck spent supporting him, telling him that everything was going to be okay, and that if Eddie wanted to be at the funeral then they’d go to the funeral, that he had forgotten to check and make sure  _ Buck _ was feeling that same reassurance. Buck was right, of course; Eddie’s parents had never been Buck’s biggest fan. They didn’t understand why they were friends, why he spent so much time around Christopher, and why he’d had to  _ move in _ of all things. Of course, the answers to those questions were now much easier to understand. Frankly, with all the harping they’d done on Eddie since he’d come out, he didn’t think they’d even had time to reform any opinions on Buck. 

Eddie reached out, wrapping his arm around Buck’s waist. “Hey, we’re gonna be okay. I want you here, and nothing they could say is gonna change that. I love you.”

As always, the three words seemed to calm Buck, and his fiancé gave him a still nervous, but genuine smile. Buck gave a single nod, and with a deep breath from each of them, they ventured into the funeral home. Eddie kept his arm around Buck as they made their way up a short flight of stairs to where the Diaz family stood. Adriana and her girls were standing with Sophia and Luis, who held Diego in his arms. Ramon and Helena stood next to their next door neighbors, Lucinda and Tom. Lucinda and Helena had been best friends since they were in elementary school, and only ever grew closer over the years. Tom and Ramon were now good friends, too, for as long as Eddie could remember. He was almost sure that Lucinda and Tom had been there when all three of them had been born. 

Eddie’s sisters and brother-in-law greeted them with smiles, while his parents fixed him with a look of surprise.

“Hi, everyone,” Eddie breathed out, taking a subconscious half-step closer to Buck. Ramon nodded to his son, then greeted the other firefighter with a tightlipped, “Buck” as he nodded his head again. 

Buck mustered up a nervous smile, “Mr. Diaz, Mrs. Diaz.”

The awkward hellos to his parents were cut off by Tom greeting Eddie with a call of his name and an outstretched hand. Eddie shook it, saying hello to his father’s good friend. 

“When you didn’t call us back, we weren’t sure you were coming,” Ramon expressed, an odd expression on his face as his mother watched him blankly. 

“Of course I was coming,” Eddie said as cheerily as he could. “I loved spending afternoons with Mr. Sanchez.”

He turned to Buck, “Buck, you remember my parents’ good friends Mr. and Mrs. Harlee?”

Buck nodded, forcing a smile, “Yes. It’s good to see you both again.”

Really, Eddie had no idea if Buck remembered the couple he’d only met once or twice. He just needed to keep conversation away from him and his parents. 

“Nice to see you as well, Buck,” Lucinda greeted with a picture perfect smile of politeness, then nudged her husband. “Buck lives with Eddie and Christopher, they work together.”

As Tom began nodding his recollection, Eddie took a deep breath, resolve filling him as he shook his head. No more lying. “No, actually. Buck is my fiancé. We’ve been together for three years, and we’re getting married soon.”

Even with the nerves filling them both, neither firefighter could stop the smiles spreading on their face as they glanced at each other. Neither was tired of hearing it said out loud that they were  _ fiancés,  _ that they were getting  _ married _ . 

Lucinda and Tom looked at each other with surprise and poorly hidden judgement, and Eddie could spot his sisters watching him with pride and stifled smiles behind them. Ramon’s mouth had dropped open slightly at his son’s declaration, and his mother’s jaw had tensed. She stood taller, all of the sudden, releasing her grip on her husband’s arm. 

“Eddie, can I talk to you a minute?”

Great. It was a funeral and they couldn’t even leave well enough alone. Eddie plastered on a fake smile, nodding to his mother. He separated from Buck, who swallowed hard before moving around the Harlees to greet Eddie’s sisters and the kids. 

When Helena deemed them far enough away from the larger group, she fixed him with a glare. “What are you doing, Eddie? Are you trying to hurt your father?”

Eddie glared back, feeling himself begin rising to anger. “How am I hurting him?”

“By making a scene at a  _ funeral _ .” 

Eddie had to stare at her for a minute, mouth open.  _ He  _ was making a scene? Who was the one who had pulled him aside to reprimand him for doing nothing more than stating a truth? 

“This is a place of grieving, Edmundo. If you wish to embarrass your father, do it somewhere else.”

“Mom, I refuse to pretend to be someone I am not just because it makes you and dad feel better,” Eddie let out sharply, keeping his voice low. Despite his mother’s claims, he did have respect for the building and the funeral gathering inside the chapel. He was grateful that the Diaz family and Harlees were the only ones around their area. 

“Why is it always about  _ you,  _ Edmundo? This is about your father, too.”

Eddie scoffed, shaking his head. “No, it’s  _ not.  _ And even if it was, what about you, mom? Dad is the one holding the ropes here. It’s always what he’s doing, what he thinks. It’s always about  _ him. _ So please, stop hiding behind your husband and tell me: what about  _ you?”  _

Other than that phone before Thanksgiving or the few messages, all attempts to reach him had been through Ramon. All words of disappointment, or misunderstanding, or anger had come from his father. Really, he had no idea what his mother’s true thoughts were. 

She set her jaw, raising her chin at him. “You want me to tell you how I feel? Fine, I will tell you how I feel. This isn’t how I live, Eddie. I don’t understand any of it! I don’t understand  _ you.” _

Eddie couldn’t even find it in him to be hurt, anger riling him up as he stared down his mother. 

“You’re getting married, but I- just don’t understand who’s who.”

“Who’s who?” Eddie questioned, confusion fitting him for a minute. 

Helena nodded, anger stepping aside to make way for a new awkwardness in her stare. “Yes. I mean, you’re both masculine guys, Eddie. I don’t know who’s who, and I don’t know what you do!”

Eddie was appalled, “What we  _ do? _ ”

“I don’t like thinking about it,” Helena spit out, and Eddie nodded to agree that she shouldn’t. “If you were marrying a woman, I wouldn’t have to think about it. I would understand.”

“I’m pretty sure all three of us hated thinking about our parents in bed, it gave us the creeps, so I get how you feel. Need me to put your mind at rest there, mom?”

Before Helena had a chance to reply, with his anger back with a vengeance, Eddie called out to his fiancé, “Hey, Buck?”

Buck stood from where he’s been crouched down, talking quietly to Charlie. 

“My mom would like to know which one of us takes it in bed.”

Buck turned an impressive shade of red, turning back around out of embarrassment. Eddie would apologize later, as extensively and as sweetly as he could. For now, he just turned back to his mother, stare hard and jaw tense. 

“Oh, sorry, mom. Guess he doesn’t like talking about what he does or doesn’t do in bed!”

Helena pursed her lips, shaking her head at him. “I don’t know who you are anymore, Eddie. And I’m not sure if I care.”

Eddie huffed, crossing his arms across his chest. “Fine. That’s fine. I used to care so much about what you and dad thought of me, but not anymore. Why should I? If you can’t bother to accept this part of me, this important part. Dad talks a big game about meeting the right person, but when it’s me? Who cares then, right? You know what, I’m done. I only care about what  _ I _ think and do anymore. If you guys can’t accept that, then get out of my life. If all you guys can fucking do is  _ tolerate  _ me, then I promise, I’ll get over it when you’re out of my life. We will  _ not  _ miss you.” 

His mother just stared after him as Eddie spun on his heel, walking straight out of the funeral home and out onto the street. He walked all the way out to the parking lot, not stopping until he reached Buck’s Jeep. In lieu of something to punch in his anger, Eddie just let out a loud “Fuck!”, running his hands through his hair. 

“Eddie. . .” he heard softly from behind him. Eddie let out a hard breath, willing himself to pull it together. 

“I know. Fuck, I know, I know. I’m sorry.”

He felt Buck’s hand on his shoulder, comforting. 

“I’m sorry,” Eddie let out again, anger dissipating into something else. Hurt. His eyes stung, and if it wasn’t for the feeling of Buck’s hand trailing up and down his back, he would likely fall apart in this stupid parking lot. 

“It’s okay, baby. You’re okay,” Buck’s voice was low, soothing. “Let’s get in the car, okay?”

Eddie nodded, moving around to the passenger side. He pulled himself in, not meeting Buck’s eyes. Eddie stared down at his hands laying limp in his lap, a few stray tears leaving his eyes. He watched as Buck’s hand came into view, gripping one of Eddie’s in his own. 

“Baby, talk to me.”

“Fuck, she’s never gonna forgive me for that,” Eddie cried, squeezing Buck’s hands. “And my dad, god- they never do anything without the other. And my mother is able to forgive a lot of shit, but that. . . I called her out. In front of the family and her stupid friends. She never shuts people out, not really, but- When she closes a door, it stays shut for-fucking-ever. They’re never gonna come around now.”

Eddie let out a quiet, choked sob. He heard Buck breath out a sigh next to him. His fiancé let him sit there, though, crying it out for as long as he needed to. Buck’s hand never left his. Eventually, when his tears subsided and he was left with no anger, no hurt, and just quiet exhaustion, Buck pulled his hand away, turning over the Jeep’s engine. 

“Let’s go home, okay? We can get Chris, then go home and curl up on the couch with some blankets and popcorn and movies. Just the three of us. We can talk about it more when you’re feeling up to it.”

Eddie nodded. “I’m sorry.”

Buck shook his head, eyes on the road as he carefully navigated his way out of the parking lot. “You don’t need to apologize, Eds. We can talk about it later."


	8. Chapter Eight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I'm so fucking in love with you," Eddie whispered, feeling choked up. At first, Buck blushed, smiling, but then he started shaking his finger at Eddie, taking a half step backwards. 
> 
> "No, no, don't you dare start crying. Because if you cry, I'm gonna cry, and if we already cry right now then we're never gonna be able to stop when we're actually going down the aisle!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is an AU based on the 2015 movie Jenny's Wedding! There are quotes taken directly from the film, and almost all plot points are taken from the film. I do not own the plot, characters, or ideas from either the movie or the show!
> 
> Beware before you read of mild homo/biphobia, talks of religious views, mentions of affairs, coming out scenes, and confrontations with family members. If any readers find tags that they would like me to add, please comment so I can put them on!
> 
> (also for the sake of the story making any sense, I ask that readers completely ignore the actual amount of time it would take to get from LA to El Paso and pretend it only takes a few hours)

Life wasn’t easy since the showdown at the funeral, but Eddie supposed it wasn’t any harder either. February had passed with little to no mention of Helena or Ramon. When they’d gotten back home from Texas, it seemed everyone in LA could tell how things had gone down, even without Eddie saying anything. Isabel and Pepa had both heard, probably from one of his sisters, and other than offering small comforts or apologizing for the family’s behavior, they kept silent about it. They had Eddie’s back no matter what, he knew. The 118 family had wanted to ask about it all, but with one look from Buck, they were all quickly silenced. Eddie hated the pity they all shot his way- everyone but Hen and Karen, who knew what it was like- but he did appreciate their otherwise full attempts to pretend nothing with Eddie’s parents had ever happened. 

His sisters were being just as supportive- Sophia had even congratulated him for telling his parents off; none of the kids had ever stood up to Helena and Ramon like that. Adriana claimed that their father kept calling her, seemingly for nothing but asking who she had talked to lately, if things were going well. His sister claimed that it was Ramon’s way of asking after Eddie without saying the words. Maybe he wanted to fix things with him, Adriana had mused hesitantly. Eddie would be glad to, but if his dad wanted to talk to him, then he should just freaking call  _ him _ , not Adriana or Sophia. 

Buck had been a godsend. He didn’t have any family besides Maddie, so he could understand the estrangement from his parents. He always seemed to know exactly what Eddie needed. He took Chris to and from school when Eddie wasn’t feeling up to it, he made sure they had enough groceries when Eddie forgot to add things to their list, he warded off concerned comments or looks from their teammates, and he gave Eddie space while still being a strong support next to him. Eddie tried to keep everything normal as possible. They all were, really. Eddie’s problems aside, Chim was out on paternity leave, they were down a wedding planner as Maddie recovered, and there was a surprising amount of things to still get done in the next two months, no matter how early Maddie, Athena, and Karen had started to get things done. 

When they weren’t on shift or with Chris, it seemed he and Buck were being pulled from one thing to another to make various decisions. They had to give final approval on the ballroom of the hotel they were marrying in, they had tried so many different types of caterers that Eddie lost track of whose food was whose, Buck’s allergies had helped decide exactly which flowers they would  _ not  _ be having, even though it hadn’t helped narrow it down to a final choice yet, and the seating chart for the reception was nowhere near finished. That particular detail had been left almost entirely up to Buck and Eddie. Karen presented them with a big poster board of the floor plan, filled with empty tables, a list of all their guests, and a pen, telling them to start filling in who was being seated where. 

It’s what they were working on now, pressed next to each other at the dining table, facing towards the living room to keep an eye on Chris and the poster board spread out on the table in front of them. So far they’d finished the head tables, where they would be. The first- dubbed "The Grooms' Table"- had Buck and Eddie in the middle, either side filled with their respective sisters, Christopher, Isabel, Pepa, Hen and Karen, and Bobby and Athena. Thank god the table was large. There was a kids table located directly next to them, close enough that all one of them would need to do was reach a hand out to get to it. It hopefully wouldn’t be necessary, though; Luis and Chim had gracefully offered and insisted that they be placed with the kids to keep an eye on them, both fathers wanting to be close by to their infant children. May and Carla had also volunteered their services. Buck had wanted to place Maddie there as well, citing that she’d probably spend most of her time there with the twins anyway, but the 9-1-1 dispatcher had refused- _“I’m your best man, damnit, I’m sitting next to you at dinner!”._ Eddie had tried the same thing with his sisters, since Diego was still less than a year old and Dean would not be attending, but they’d pretty much argued the same. Even though Chris was technically his best man, the 13 year old couldn’t do much to help out, so Adriana and Sophia had taken it upon themselves. Apparently they had been coordinating with Maddie to work on a speech- Eddie and Buck were both dreading that already. 

With their family and team out of the way came the rest of their guest list, which was the hard part. The rest of the tables would all seat eight, versus the head tables’ twelve, and it was hard deciding who went where in the room and with whom.

“Why the hell is this guest list so long?” Buck whined, reaching across Eddie for his beer bottle. “This is like double the amount of people we were wanting to have. I’ve got no fu- freaking clue where to put people.”

Eddie sighed, nodding as he threw the pen down and ran a hand over his face. 

“I had no idea my family was even this big,” he complained right back. It was true; Isabel had basically just handed Eddie a list of people he “absolutely must” invite to the wedding, and gave a backup copy to Maddie just in case he didn’t pass it along. Some of them were people Eddie hadn’t even heard of before. On top of that, there was the rest of the 118, and the 136, and the 217. They also had friends who worked at Dispatch, or the police precincts, or the bars they frequented. It was exhausting. 

“Eddie, what’s wrong? There’s something else on your mind besides this stupid seating chart.”

Sometimes Eddie hated how well Buck knew him. He’d been trying all day to keep himself underwraps and be present for his son and finacé. 

“It’s my mom’s birthday today,” Eddie sighed out from beneath his hands. “They’re throwing a party for her at my parents’ house.”

“Eds. . .”

Eddie pulled his hands away from his face, plastering on a smile and shaking his head. “It’s fine. I’m fine. Anyway, the seating chart doesn’t really matter, does it? I mean, everyone’s probably going to be moving around no matter where we seat them.”

The look on Buck’s face told him he wasn’t buying it, nor was he going to accept the change in subject easily. He really didn’t want to talk about it. So, before Buck could respond, Eddie stood. 

“I’m gonna take a break, ‘kay?” Eddie stated, pressing a kiss to Buck’s cheek before moving swiftly out of the dining room. 

“Eddie-!” Buck called after him, but Eddie was already outside on the back porch, sliding the door shut behind him. As the fresh air and quiet mumblings of the neighborhood hit him, Eddie let out a deep breath, shutting his eyes for a moment. 

It was fine. He was fine. It didn’t matter that Sophia was likely already in El Paso, or that Adriana was on her way. It didn’t matter that he had only heard about the party two days ago, when Adriana had mentioned it, assuming he already knew. She thought Ramon had called him. He hadn’t. Eddie had heard nothing but radio silence from his parents. It didn’t matter that instead of having Ramon and Helena at his side, he’d asked if Isabel would give him away instead. It didn’t matter that he was being an asshole to his fiancé by coming out here after promising he wouldn’t shut him out like this. 

It was fine. 

Eddie just needed a little fresh air, a little time to himself, and he’d be good as new. He and Buck would finish that stupid seating chart- because yes, he knew it  _ did  _ matter where they sat people even if they moved around- and then they’d watch a movie with Christopher, just like they’d promised him they would. Him, his husband-to-be, and their son.

It was fine.

\----------

Maddie had been in charge of getting Buck and Eddie their tuxes. She’d found the store they were buying from, she’d essentially picked out the exact cuts of jacket and pants, she’d chatted and smiled at and argued with the tailor, and now she was even coming out to be at their final tux fitting. The new mom had left Joy, Kevin, and Evie in the capable hands of her husband, gotten dressed for the first time since coming home from the hospital, and drove to meet them at the store. She looked as immaculate as always; Eddie would have never been able to tell that she’d recently had twins if he hadn’t been in the hospital waiting room two months ago. Buck had almost been surprised to see her, figuring they would be fine without her and she’d stay home with the kids, but Maddie just fixed him with a glare when he’d brought it up. Really, Buck should have known better than to test Maddie’s commitment to her “best man” and “wedding planner” duties.

It seemed, though, Buck wasn’t the only one surprised by his sister that morning. Adriana had been planning to come, so Eddie wasn’t shocked when she really did show up, but it was her comments of “I don’t know how long I can stay, I left Izzy and Charlie with my neighbor babysitting them,” that got Eddie. Dean frequently worked nights, and was usually available during the day time. When mentioning as much to his youngest sister, asking why he couldn’t take care of his own kids for such a short time period, Adriana held her head up proudly, smiling to herself as she announced, “I kicked him out.”

“You what?” Eddie sputtered, staring with wide eyes at Adriana as the four of them waited to be called back for their appointment. 

“I kicked him out, and I left him.” 

“Holy shit, Adriana.”

Adriana just nodded at Eddie’s awed words. Buck was the one who stepped up, asking what exactly had happened. 

“The grass,” she explained, as if that offered all the answers they’d wanted. When no one said anything, Adriana just laughed to herself. “When you came over Eddie, I realized how the grass was completely dead outside the house. You just looked so happy, you always look so happy with Buck, and it hit me- happy people don’t have dead grass. Mami and Papi have green grass, you have green grass, Soph does, and Maddie- I’m sure you do too, right?”

Maddie nodded silently, all of them trying to follow along with Adriana’s explanation. 

“So I started watering the grass. And watering it. The more I did, the happier I got. And the grass- it was alive again, hermano! I was actually happy for the first time in so long. Happy people don’t have dead grass, and if I spend anymore time wasting away in a marriage to Dean, I don’t think I’d ever have living grass again.”

Eddie had to admit, he still wasn’t sure where his sister was coming from. He didn’t fully understand her situation with the grass, but he didn’t need to. All he needed to hear was that his sister was happy again. He’d seen the brightness that had shone in her eyes ever since she was a child slowly diminish over time. Ever since she had married Dean. Dean had been nice, had made his sister smile and blush, and he’d given her two children Eddie knew she adored, but Eddie had never really liked the man. He and Luis had always gotten along, happy to be in the same family, but Dean was a much different story. Standing here now, as their tailor came towards them to pull them back where their tuxes were, Eddie watched his sister. The light in her eyes was brighter. She stood taller. Her smile was just plain  _ happy.  _ This was the Adriana he had grown up with. 

Buck and Maddie began following the tailor into the rest of the store, and Adriana moved to as well, but Eddie caught her arm, pulling his younger sister into his chest. Adriana seemed surprised for a moment, but relaxed into his embrace, tucking her head into his chest. Adriana was practically a whole head shorter than him, and her bushy curls were ticking his chin. Eddie tucked his head down, kissing the top of his sister’s head. 

“I’m so happy for you, hermanita. I’m proud of you. I love you.”

Adriana squeezed him tighter, nodding into his chest. “Te amo,” she whispered back. She pulled away soon after, grabbing her older brother’s hand. 

“Come on, Eddie. Don’t want to keep Buck waiting!”

Eddie laughed, letting her pull him along. Soon, Eddie and Buck were directed into two separate changing rooms, where body bags held their tuxes. Adriana and Maddie were both smiling wildly, awaiting the sight of the two of them all dressed for their wedding. Buck shot him a wink as he began closing the curtain of his changing room, which Eddie shot back with a smirk. Marrying Buck was everything he dreamed of, but the sight of Buck in a tux may kill him. It was certain to have him wanting to drop right to his knees then and there. Eddie wasn’t sure if it would be to say a prayer or something entirely different. Either way, he wouldn’t be complaining.

As Eddie changed, he took a deep breath, shaking his head. He really shouldn’t get worked up over Buck in a tux before he was even in it. And it wasn’t like he’d be able to do anything about it with their sisters  _ right there _ and in a  _ public store. _ So Eddie changed, careful to not wrinkle anything as he slipped into the dressiest suit he’d ever been in. With his and Shannon’s courthouse wedding, he’d simply worn the suit he’d had in the back of his closet for special occasions. This, with Buck, was dressing to the nines. He’d never worn anything this fancy. 

Eddie was the first to step outside, opening the curtains to the flashing lights of Maddie’s cell phone camera and Adriana’s quiet cheers. 

“Oh, Eddie. . . that looks perfect!”

Eddie smiled, glancing down at himself. He was aware enough to know he was attractive. He got stares from girls and guys alike while out on calls or on nights spent with the team in bars or restaurants. He never cared much about his own appearance, despite what other people had to say, but he could definitely appreciate that he was looking hot in the tuxedo. Maddie had picked out black pants, a white shirt, and surrounding black lapels and buttons, he donned a dark burgundy jacket- the same shade they were using in their wedding colors.  He had on a black bowtie to go with it, and Maddie came over to neatly slip a white pocket square into his jacket. He frowned a little at her choice of white, confused, but when he heard Adriana gasp behind him and turned, he understood. 

Eddie wasn’t sure he could remember how to breath. As Maddie whipped out her camera again, Buck stood with a sheepish but confident grin in his own tux. Like Eddie, his pants and bowtie were black, but Buck was wearing a crisp, clean white jacket instead, matching the other half of their wedding colors. There was black piping around the lapels, and it fit him  _ perfectly. _ It hugged tight in all the right places, showed off his arm muscles, his height, his  _ everything _ \- and yeah, Eddie was definitely going to his knees at some point. 

Maddie had made a point of not letting them see the tux she had picked out for the other. Eddie honestly had no idea what Buck would be wearing until today, when she finally let them see each other. Eddie didn’t even know what to say. Buck looked fucking perfect. He could hear Maddie and Adriana murmuring around them, but he paid them no mind. He wasn't sure he could take his eyes off his fiancé if he tried. Buck was fixing him with the same heated, fond, loving look he was giving. He couldn't believe he was marrying this man. 

"I'm so fucking in love with you," Eddie whispered, feeling choked up. At first, Buck blushed, smiling, but then he started shaking his finger at Eddie, taking a half step backwards. 

"No, no, don't you dare start crying. Because if you cry, I'm gonna cry, and if we already cry right now then we're never gonna be able to stop when we're actually going down the aisle!"

Eddie laughed a little, melting at the sight of Buck's shining eyes that matched his own. Eddie moved quickly, taking Buck’s hands in his to pull them against each other. Buck went easily, smiling the whole way. Eddie brought their joint hands up, just brushing Buck’s knuckles against his lips. 

“You’re so beautiful, baby,” Eddie whispered, causing Buck to duck his head. 

“Christ, Eds, have you seen yourself?”

Eddie laughed under his breath, but before he could say any more, Maddie spoke up. “Okay, love birds, save it for the honeymoon. Now come on, I need to know if everything fits right.”

Eddie and Buck reluctantly separated, though not before Buck snuck a kiss to Eddie’s lips. They stood apart, letting Maddie fuss over them for a few minutes, pulling and smoothing fabric to make sure nothing was wrong. When Maddie was done with Eddie, Adriana took over doing literally the same things. Eddie rolled his eyes, ignoring his sister in favor of watching Maddie slipping a burgundy pocket square into Buck’s jacket. Their tuxes matched perfectly; Eddie would praise Maddie for her choices in picking them out for the rest of his life, he was sure. 

When the women had finished looking over their brothers and had finally put their cameras away- though Eddie was pretty sure one of them had gotten a picture of him kissing Buck’s hand that he definitely would be asking for later- they moved over to where the tailor was waiting to go over any last minute details with him. Eddie and Buck were free to change back into their street clothes. As he turned back to the changing room, Eddie caught out of the corner of his eye another man entering the area. He glanced at him quickly, but paid him no mind as he turned to say something to Buck.

Then Eddie spun, doing a double take at the man. He had stopped after entering the room they were in, now watching Eddie with a nervous stare. 

“Dad?” Eddie managed to squeeze out his closing throat. 

Ramon gave him a weak, nervous smile. His father looked. . . vulnerable, a look Eddie couldn’t remember ever seeing on his face. Behind Eddie, Buck had stopped as well, taking a few steps closer to Eddie. 

“What are you doing here?” Eddie asked weakly. He took note of the silence in the room. The tailor had left, he realized, and he was sure Maddie and Adriana were standing in the corner, trying to not intrude. 

“Your sister,” Ramon started, gesturing vaguely to Adriana, “she mentioned she would be at your final tuxedo fitting today. I wanted to be here.”

“Why?” Eddie tried to push down the hope that was rising through his chest cavity. Ramon clenched his jaw, frowning at the ground. His father looked exhausted, Eddie took note. Stressed, tired, and worried. Ramon lifted his head again, a newfound look of determination in his eyes as he made eye contact with his son. 

“Edmundo. . . mijo, I’m sorry. You have not deserved the reactions I have given you these past months. It wasn’t until I was speaking to Tom the other day and he told me that he believed I was doing the right thing- that he would have turned his back on it all, too- that I realized how  _ wrong _ I have been, Eddie.”

Eddie’s breathing was heavy, and he watched his father carefully. He couldn’t believe the words he was hearing. Ramon had admitted fault so rarely throughout Eddie’s life, and he didn’t often try to make amends. 

“You are my son, Eddie. I love you, no matter what happens. And that is what I should have shown you when you told me. It was not right to show you anything less than the acceptance you deserve. Even if I do not understand this all yet. I know that I have not been the easiest father to have, and I was so wrong to ask you to lie. I want to be part of your life, mijo. And your marriage, if you will let me.” 

It was with quick strides that Eddie moved to his father, hugging him. His father faltered in surprise- they had never been the hugging type of relationship- but Ramon relaxed, holding his son against him. Even though Eddie was slightly taller than him, Ramon held one hand to the back of Eddie’s neck in comfort, as he did when Eddie was just a small child who needed his daddy. Eddie had tears in his eyes as he hugged his father. He hadn’t imagined in all his dreams that one day his father would come to him, apologize, and ask to be part of his life again. Until he had, Eddie didn’t realize how much it truly was hurting him to not have the support from him. 

The hug was not long lived, an awkward example of physical touch for them to share, but every second was meaningful. Ramon pulled back from his son, patting him on the back. 

“Te quiero, Eddito.”

“Te quiero.”

With a smile, Ramon broke all contact with Eddie, moving past him to where Buck was standing a few feet away. Buck had watched the interaction with a smile, but it was faltering now as his future father-in-law made his way in front of him. 

“And Buck, I am sorry if I have made you feel unwelcome these past seven years. I will admit, I did not realize the significance you held in my son and grandson’s life until Eddie told me he planned to marry you. But I have seen the happiness and love you bring to both their lives, and for that I thank you.”

Buck looked  _ stunned,  _ and it took a moment for him to shock back into life, reaching out to shake the hand Ramon had been holding out for him these past few seconds. Buck smiled at Ramon, a silent thank you. As the handshake broke, it was like a piece of Eddie’s life had clicked back into place, and life as normal kicked right back into gear. Eddie watched as Adriana moved up to their father, taking him by the arm as she talked about the suits each of them was wearing, describing them in way more detail than Ramon needed. At the same time, Wedding Planner Maddie Han kicked back into gear, ushering them back into the changing rooms with direction to keep every part of the tuxes immaculate as they hung them back in the body bags. As she began pushing Buck into the dressing room, who had been watching Eddie with a smile, Eddie laughed at Buck’s immediate protests to the pushing. The banter between the siblings was easy and playful as Buck began putting his weight back into Maddie’s hands to make her pushing harder. Eddie rolled his eyes at their never ending childish demeanor, smiling to himself as he swiftly moved into his own changing room before Maddie could start on him. 

Eddie was as careful as Maddie had demanded as he slipped out of the tuxedo, placing it back in the bag exactly as he’d pulled it out. Everyone was waiting for him when he finished, Buck right outside the curtain to eagerly take Eddie’s hand in his. They had made plans to go out to lunch after the fitting, plans that now included Eddie’s father as well. Eddie smiled over the fact, he and Buck walking behind the rest of the group, watching as Ramon and Maddie officially introduced themselves to one another and she began showing Ramon the pictures she’d taken as the grooms had come out of the dressing rooms. His father seemed genuinely interested in seeing the photos, too, commenting on a few of them and throwing back a compliment to both of them about how handsome they both looked. Buck squeezed Eddie’s hand at the compliment, pressing a kiss to the corner of his mouth. 

Ramon surprised Eddie and Buck even more during their lunch as he began asking for more information into their relationship- how they got together, if Buck had plans to adopt Chris, which he very much did, and other basic relationship questions. He also asked after all the children, including Maddie’s, asked all four of them about wedding planning, and offered to pay for everyone’s lunch. It was a happy affair for all of them. Eddie never thought he’d have this with his father again. 

The joy stayed up until after lunch was over, when Eddie and Ramon ended up in the back of the group as they all walked back to their respective vehicles. 

“Edmundo,” his father began, tone like he was about to tell 10 year old Eddie that his dog had passed. “Your mother. . . she does not know I came here.”

Eddie stiffened at that a little. He had meant it when he’d told Buck that his parents did everything together. Every decision, every event, everything was done with both of them or neither of them. Eddie knew what it had meant for his father to be here without Helena by his side, but he’d had no idea that she didn’t even  _ know. _

“I can’t apologize to her, dad. I just can’t.”

Ramon sighed, like he’d expected that but was hoping for something different. “I wouldn’t ask you to, Eddie. And I am prepared to do this without your mother if she does not come around. I just want you to be aware that our actions are separate. You and your mother have hurt each other deeply, and what comes from that will depend on you both.”

Eddie sighed, nodding his head. He loved his mother with all his heart, but his happiness here in LA, with Chris and Buck and their family- that would always come first. If he was to make up with Helena, it would have to be her move first.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eddie's suit: https://nybrideofraleigh.com/spring-wedding-tuxedo-style/
> 
> Buck's suit: https://www.presidenttuxedo.com/products/tuxedo-label-wedding/ike-behar/ike-behars-white-waverly-wedding/
> 
> To everyone who has been hating Adriana's husband: me too!! hate that guy!! so glad he's gone!!


	9. Chapter Nine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Never before had Eddie so desperately wished that he and Buck had just grabbed Chris one weekend, driven into the city, and eloped. If he had known that the wedding planning, night before, and day of would be so damn chaotic, he just might have. He knew it would all be worth it in the end, he really, really did. But God sure was testing him this morning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is an AU based on the 2015 movie Jenny's Wedding! There are quotes taken directly from the film, and almost all plot points are taken from the film. I do not own the plot, characters, or ideas from either the movie or the show!
> 
> Beware before you read of mild homo/biphobia, talks of religious views, mentions of affairs, coming out scenes, and confrontations with family members. If any readers find tags that they would like me to add, please comment so I can put them on!
> 
> (also for the sake of the story making any sense, I ask that readers completely ignore the actual amount of time it would take to get from LA to El Paso and pretend it only takes a few hours)

Never before had Eddie so desperately wished that he and Buck had just grabbed Chris one weekend, driven into the city, and eloped. If he had known that the wedding planning, night before, and day of would be so damn chaotic, he just might have. He knew it would all be worth it in the end, he really, really did. But God sure was testing him this morning. It had been Isabel that had decided to enforce the old tradition of not seeing your intended the night before the wedding. She heard absolutely none of the arguments they made about the fact that they already lived together. So Buck had spent the past night at Bobby and Athena’s, while Eddie and Chris stayed home. 

Eddie was supposed to be at the hotel in an hour- way earlier than they needed considering it was only 9:00 and the ceremony wasn’t until 3:30, but he was sure it was just an excuse for Adriana and Sophia to fuss over him to their hearts delight- but looking at the clock now, they were definitely going to be late. Chris had been too excited to go to bed on time last night, Eddie hadn’t slept well without Buck in the bed, and the two grooms had been but under a strict no-contact order from Isabel. After waking up late, Eddie had already received three calls and about a hundred different texts from Maddie, Athena, Karen, his sisters, or some family member he hadn’t even remembered inviting. Absolutely none of the calls or messages had been important, he’d discovered. 

They’d luckily had all the wedding party outfits sent to the hotel early and had planned to change there because Chris had managed to spill orange juice all over himself during breakfast, Eddie had put his shirt on backwards on the first attempt, and now Chris’ left shoe seemed to be missing. The 13 year old would not, as Eddie soon found out, be persuaded to give up the search and just wear a different freaking pair. 

“No, dad! It has to be these shoes!”

Eddie sighed, trying to remind himself of patience. “Chris, please. We need to leave soon. Why won’t you just wear something different?”

“They’re my lucky shoes!” Chris whined, looking frustrated. “I have to wear them so you and Buck will be lucky, too!”

And if that didn’t just melt Eddie’s heart. He really got lucky with this kid. 

A few moments later, Chris seemed to light up, “Wait, that’s it! Call Buck! He’ll know where my shoe is.”

God, that sounded fucking wonderful. It hadn’t even been 24 hours since he’d seen his fiancé, but he missed him like crazy. 

“Buddy, you know I’m not supposed to-”

“Dad, if you want me to find my shoe then you have to call Buck,” Chris said matter-of-factly, and Eddie knew that in all honesty, his son was almost definitely right. 

Eddie let out a deep sigh, shaking as he said, “You know what, fine. I’ll call Buck. What Abuela doesn’t know won’t hurt her, yeah?”

Chris giggled as Eddie pulled out his phone, finally calling Buck like he’d wanted to all freaking night. It only took one ring before Buck picked up. 

_ “Eddie, listen, I know we’re about to do the whole in sickness and in health thing, but I am absolutely not going to get in the way if your grandmother decides to murder your ass.” _

Eddie let out a laugh, feeling a sense of calm almost immediately wash over him. He couldn’t even see Buck, but just having his voice made things all the much better. 

“I won’t tell if you don’t.”

_ “Take it to the grave, baby. What’s up? Are you okay?” _

“Yeah, we’re all good. It’s just-”

“Daaaaad, ask him where my shoe is!”

Eddie rolled his eyes at his insistent child, who stuck his tongue out in response. 

_ “Was that Chris?” _

Eddie sighed, “Yeah. Your son has lost his shoe, and since he refuses to wear something different, he made me call you to ask if you know where it is.”

_ “Oh, so when he’s annoying you he’s  _ my  _ son? That’s how this is gonna work, huh?”  _ Eddie could hear the smile in Buck’s voice, and he returned it easily. 

“Damn right that’s how it works, baby. Now- do you know where it is? The trainers with the green sole, blue stripe?”

Buck was quiet a moment, and Eddie could hear him shuffling around on the other side of the line.  _ “Tell him to check under his bed.” _

“You don’t think I thought of that? I did tell him that.”

_ “Well, tell him to check again. It’s definitely there. I saw it last time I vacuumed the house, and he hasn’t cleaned his room since.” _

Eddie turned the phone away from his mouth a little, telling Chris to check under his bed. 

“I already did.”

“Well, check again. The sooner you do, the sooner we might actually leave on time.”

Eddie heard Buck chuckle over the phone as he watched Christopher trudge off to his room.

_ “I take it that it’s going well over there, then?” _

Eddie sighed, “You have no idea. What about your end?”

_ “Well, I’m hiding in the bathroom since Athena’s a damn tattletale, and Maddie won’t stop texting me every 30 seconds.” _

“I wish we could just skip to the part where we’re married.”

_ “And deprive me of the sight of you walking down the aisle in that suit? Baby, I thought you loved me.” _

Eddie laughed as Chris re-emerged from his bedroom, looking at the ground. 

“Chris?” Eddie raised an eyebrow. “Did you find your shoe?”

Christopher mumbled something, and though he couldn’t make it out, Eddie had a pretty good inclination as to what it was. “What was that, Chris?”

The teenager sighed, shoulders slumping as he looked at his father. “Yes, I found my shoe.”

“Mhmm. Will you go finish getting ready now?”

Christopher nodded, turning again to head towards the bathroom. 

_ “I miss you guys,”  _ Buck said, making Eddie smile a little. 

“We miss you, too. One morning without you and our whole lives are falling apart.”

Buck laughed,  _ “Just a few more hours, right?” _

More than a few, but Eddie wasn’t going to be the one to bring that up. “Just a few more hours,” he agreed. “And then we are never spending the night apart again.”

_ “That’s the best damn deal I’ve ever heard. Listen, baby, I should go. I need to go to the hotel. You need to go to the hotel. The sooner we do, the sooner we can get married.” _

Eddie could hear that Buck was as reluctant to hang up the phone as he was. “I love you.”

_ “I love you, too. See you soon, Eds.” _

Eddie said his own goodbye, then hung up the phone. 

It was going to be a stressful day. Who knows what’s awaiting him at the hotel, where Karen was already whipping everything into shape. But he knew that none of that would matter later on. Anything and everything could go wrong, but it wouldn’t matter. After months of waiting, after all the fights with his family, after the chaos of planning, they were  _ finally _ getting married. It didn’t matter if it was in the hotel or in a freaking dumpster. He was marrying Evan Buckley, and Eddie couldn’t wait for the rest of the day. 

\----------

As it turns out, what was awaiting him at the hotel was nothing what he’d expected. Eddie had been prepared for last minute decisions because something went wrong, he was bracing himself to be bombarded by family and friends on his way to his hotel room, and he wouldn’t have even been surprised if one of their vendors had back out and left them stranded. But what he found, however, was beautiful, organized  _ calm _ over the venue. No one was rushing to get set up, Karen didn’t immediately come up to him with a bunch of problems, and it was already looking  _ perfect.  _

It looked like Buck had beat Eddie to the hotel; he could spot Athena standing with Karen by their makeshift altar. Chris went directly to them, calling out a hello. Both women turned to look at the pair of Diazes, Athena going to hug Chris while Karen moved over to Eddie. 

“Good morning, Groom Number Two!” 

Eddie smiled at her, leaning forward to press a kiss to her cheek. “Hey, how’s it going?”

Karen lifted a hand to wave him away, “Don’t you even worry about that. This is your and Buck’s day, so just head on up to your room and let your sisters fret for a while.”

“Karen-”

His friend rolled her eyes, “Fine, it’s fine. We’ve got the flowers on the way, the caterers are in the kitchen, we’ve got only about three more rows of seating to set up, and there are full instructions for quickly turning the room from the ceremony to the reception.”

She sounded exasperated, but Eddie smiled at her in thanks anyway.

“You two,” Karen shook her head, “Had to go on the same spiel for the fiancé of yours.”

With that, she turned and walked away from him with instructions to go up to his hotel room as soon as possible. Eddie mockingly saluted her, making sure Christopher was occupied by Athena before following orders. He and Buck’s rooms were on the first floor, on opposite sides of the ballroom they were using. It took everything in Eddie to turn left, the way he was supposed to go, rather than left where he knew Buck would be. With a sigh, he pulled out the key card Karen had slipped him while they talked, and opened his hotel room door. He only had to wait five more hours, and then he could see-

“Buck.”

The other firefighter looked up from the bed, where he was lounging and scrolling on his phone, looking comfortable in his sweatpants and one of Eddie’s shirts. Buck smiled brightly at him, scrambling to stand up. 

“Eddie!”

Eddie let the door swing shut behind him, stepping forward to meet Buck. His fiancé pulled him into a bruising kiss as soon as they were close enough to each other. Eddie practically melted into the feeling, arms holding Buck so tightly he might have to worry about hurting him. It seemed, though, that Buck had no problem with the tight embrace, as he pressed impossibly closer to Eddie. Eddie didn’t disconnect from Buck until he physically couldn’t breath anymore- and honestly, dying kissing Buck seemed a pretty good way to go- and he knew if they kept going they would never stop. Consummation was supposed to happen  _ after  _ the wedding, he reminded himself. 

“What are you doing here?” Eddie panted out, bringing his hands up to hold Buck’s jaw gently. 

Buck smiled, breathing deeply himself. “Well, my sister isn’t here yet.  _ Your  _ sisters aren’t here yet. . . I couldn’t wait anymore.”

Eddie smiled widely, leaning his forehead against Buck’s. “I fucking missed you.”

Buck let out a laugh, squeezing Eddie’s waist. “Missed you, too, baby.”

After a minute of just standing there, holding on to each other, Buck smirked. “So. . . we’ve got about eight minutes before my sister gets here. What do you wanna do?”

The implication was clear, and Eddie laughed as Buck pressed his hips into him. He shook his head, though. “Now that is really a way to make sure Abuela kills  _ both  _ of us.”

Buck groaned, dropping his head against Eddie’s shoulder. “Oh, come on, baby. Mentions of grandmothers  _ definitely _ kill the mood.”

Eddie huffed a laugh, taking a half step back from Buck so they could look at each other properly. Buck looked like he’d spent about the same amount of time sleeping that Eddie had. They always had that same look on the nights when one of them had to stay at the station overnight and the other didn’t. However, if Eddie didn’t know Buck so well, he’d never know that he was even a little bit tired. It was obscured by something else overrunning his face. 

Happiness. 

Buck looked like pure happiness, glowing brighter than Eddie thinks he’s ever seen in the six years they’ve known each other. 

“You ready for this,” Buck asked, looping his fingers into Eddie’s waistband. 

“Never been more ready.”

Buck leaned in again-

“Eddie, Maddie asked me or Adriana to make sure- oh. Huh.”

Sophia was staring at them, hand still on the door handle and a smirk on her face. Eddie felt himself redden like a teenager who got caught with their first significant other. There was also the underlying instinct to jump back and act like nothing had happened, but this was his  _ almost husband _ , so really, that was ridiculous. He and Buck glanced at each other, both embarrassed, before reluctantly looking back to Eddie’s sister. 

“I’m telling Abuela,” she singsonged, moving to shut the door and leave. Eddie did now jump away from Buck, moving toward his sister. 

“Soph, I swear to god, if you tell her then I’m telling the whole family that the real reason I had to drive you to the ER in 10th grade was because you fell off the top  _ bunk bed  _ while having sex with your boyfriend!”

Sophia sucked in a deep gasp just as she was about to shut the door, opening it again to stare at her brother with a narrow gaze. “You wouldn’t.”

“This is my wedding day and I  _ so  _ would.”

She regarded him for a moment before giving a single nod. “Fine.”

Sophia moved back into the room, shutting the door behind her. Buck, who had been quietly watching the siblings, let out a snicker. 

“Bunk beds?”

Sophia crossed her arms across her chest, “Adriana and I had to share a room, and she was still young enough to like the bunks. I can’t believe you would threaten me with that, Eddie, you said you’d never talk about it again!”

Eddie just shrugged, feeling smug. 

“Alright, you two,” Buck joked sternly, steeping between them, “break it up. I’ll go back to my room-”

Eddie made a whining noise, reaching out to grab Buck’s wrist. 

“-and you two will play nice while Sophia helps you get ready, Eds.”

As Buck looked at Eddie, Sophia stuck her tongue out at her older brother behind his back. He fixed her with a look before turning back to Buck, reluctantly nodding to his words. Buck smiled at him, stepping into his space. He placed a much gentler kiss than he had earlier on Eddie’s lips. 

“I’ll see you at the end of the aisle,” he whispered before pulling away completely and walking out of the room, leaving Eddie with a smile on his lips and his sister watching him with a dopey look. He turned to her. 

“What?”

“Nothing, Eddito,” she said, shaking her head but smiling. 

_ “What?” _

She sighed, shrugging her shoulders. “I’ve just- I’ve never really seen you look so happy. Only when you’re around Chris.”

Before Eddie had a chance to respond, she pushed on, saying, “Who, speaking of which, is possibly terrorizing that  _ wonderful _ cop friend of yours. I had to bribe him and- whose Athena’s son? Harry?- to leave her alone. They’re both with Luis and Diego up in our room now.”

Eddie nodded. He could imagine that Chris had indeed been being a handful. It was so sweet how excited he was, but it also reminded Eddie that while Chris was getting too old for Eddie’s taste, he really still was a kid who would wreak havoc. Put him with Harry- and thank god Denny hadn’t arrived yet- and the two were a storm to be reckoned with.

“Thanks. What did Maddie want?”

“Huh?”

“You came in here saying Maddie wanted you to make sure of something.”

“Oh! Yeah! It wasn’t important. She’s just stressing over last minute details, and she’s hyper fixating on pocket squares of all things. I thought it would calm her down if I came to confirm that no, you did not misplace your pocket square, and yes, you do know how to fold it properly.” Sophia had a teasing smile on her face as she spoke of Maddie, the same one she’d get when it was him or Adriana. He and Buck both knew it was dangerous for their sisters to become friends- the  _ stories _ they could tell, oh god- but Eddie was glad for it. Family was so important to both of them, and having their families get along was a blessing in itself. 

“My pocket square is in the body bag with the rest of my suit, and Maddie wants it folded so it’s point up. I got it.”

Sophia shrugged a shoulder. “Yeah, I figured. So, Adriana will be here soon- she’s waiting until dad can help with the girls- and we’ll help finish some of the last minute things while you shower and shit, and then you’re going to let us freak out and fuss and cry over you for a while as you finish getting ready.”

Eddie rolled his eyes, but gave his younger sister a mock salute, “Yes, ma’am.”

“Don’t be a twit.”

Sophia moved over to him, reaching up a little bit to kiss his cheek. With that, she too left the room. 

Later, after his sisters had indeed cried and fussed over him, after Chris had come racing into his hotel room dressed proudly in his little suit, and after everything was finally ready to go, Eddie was walking towards his spot to wait to go down the aisle. He had Adriana, Sophia, Chris, and Ramon at his side. Christopher was a ball of energy, swinging their joined hands back and forth violently as they walked. Eddie smiled down at his son fondly, Chris returning it with a toothy grin. The wedding procession would lead with Maddie and Chris walking together, coming from different sides of the ballroom to meet in the middle, followed by Adriana and Hen, and then Chim and Sophia. As soon as Isabel had heard that her son was in fact attending the wedding, she insisted that he take her spot in walking Eddie down the aisle, so she was already in her seat in the ballroom. Athena would be walking Buck down. 

Guests would either be getting to their seats or already be seated at this point, as the wait Eddie had been facing all day was finally  _ over.  _ Part of Eddie was nervous. He had never been good with words, even when it was private, and he and Buck had decided to write their own vows. He really didn’t want to mess them up, no matter how many times Buck reassured him that even if he did, it wouldn’t matter a single bit. He knew the love of his life was right, objectively, but Eddie just wanted this day to go perfectly. Buck deserved nothing less. 

His father was walking next to him with a strong hand resting comfortably on his shoulder. The relationship between them since the final fitting had been stronger than it had been in Eddie’s whole life. They had been actually talking to each other, his father had been making an honest effort to get to know Buck, and Eddie had just felt  _ lighter _ . There was still a bit of a dark cloud hanging over Eddie, but he wasn’t letting himself think about it. Between growing up the eldest sibling and Catholic, he had developed a good system of pushing everything way down. 

“You really look amazing in that tux, Eddie,” Sophia gushed for the twentieth time in the last half hour. Today was the first she was seeing it in person, and she had actually cried when he’d first put it on. Adriana had laughed at her before handing her a tissue, tears in her own eyes, and dragging her sister off to the bathroom to fix their make-up. “I can’t wait to see Buck, you guys are gonna look- Mom?”

Eddie looked at his sister, brow furrowed in confusion, but her attention was captured elsewhere, her eyes wide. Eddie followed her gaze. Standing there, maybe ten feet or so from where they were meant to enter the ballroom, was Helena Diaz. Eddie and the rest of his family all seemed to freeze, unsure what to do as they looked on at Helena, standing there wringing her hands and her lips pursed. Not even Ramon moved towards his wife. Though his father would never say it, all the Diaz children knew the relationship had been strained between them since Ramon made amends with Eddie. 

“Mom,” Eddie broke the silence. “What are you doing here?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Posting this early for you today! 
> 
> A heads up that next week's chapter may be late because I'm a college student with lots to do and I may or may not have not actually started writing it yet. . . I promise you'll have it by the end of next week. 
> 
> I may or may not also had an extra epilogue chapter after that one, I'm not sure yet. 
> 
> Hope you enjoy!


	10. Chapter Ten

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “With the power vested in me by the state of California,” Bobby announced, “I pronounce you married.”
> 
> They didn’t wait for anymore instruction before falling into a kiss. The guests around them cheered and clapped, but Eddie was too focused on his husband- his husband!- to pay them any attention.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is an AU based on the 2015 movie Jenny's Wedding! There are quotes taken directly from the film, and almost all plot points are taken from the film. I do not own the plot, characters, or ideas from either the movie or the show!
> 
> Beware before you read of mild homo/biphobia, talks of religious views, mentions of affairs, coming out scenes, and confrontations with family members. If any readers find tags that they would like me to add, please comment so I can put them on!
> 
> (also for the sake of the story making any sense, I ask that readers completely ignore the actual amount of time it would take to get from LA to El Paso and pretend it only takes a few hours)

Eddie was suddenly struck with so much stress and nerves he wasn’t sure he’d be able to move. It felt like a tunnel. The rest of the hotel was melting away, and it was just him and his mother, standing ten feet away with a look on her face he wasn’t sure he’d ever seen before. His vision felt blurry, his chest restricted, and his muscles tense. It was panic, the paramedic in his brain recognized, and Eddie tried his best to curb it. He refused to have a panic attack on the day of his wedding, whatever his mother had to say be damned. The silence between them all seemed to stretch for miles.

“Hi, Eddie,” she finally said. 

He could feel his family standing around him, like a support system. He was the only one of the Diaz siblings with a strained relationship with their mother, but his sisters would stand by him, he knew. Especially if this started to take a turn for the worse. Almost subconsciously, Eddie pushed Chris back towards Sophia. He didn’t want his son to hear whatever his mother had to say right now. Ramon took Chris’ spot right next to Eddie. 

“What are you doing here,” Eddie repeated. 

His mother scoffed a little, as though whatever she wanted was obvious. “I’m here for the wedding, why else?”

Eddie glared. “You’re here for the- Mom, you have  _ hated  _ the idea of this wedding for months. You haven’t spoken to me, and when you were all it was to do was yell at me. How am I supposed to believe you’re here for the wedding?”

Helena sighed and at least had the decency to look guilty. Eddie really,  _ really  _ didn’t want to get angry today. Not when Buck was waiting on the other side of the ballroom, not when he was fucking getting married in less than 10 minutes. He desperately wished his mother wasn’t going to do anything to ruin the day. 

“Eddie. . . I know things haven’t been great between us lately.”

That was an understatement. 

“But Eddie. . . I do love you.”

She stopped for a minute, like that should have fixed it. When Eddie didn’t react, she continued. 

“I want to- I do want to be a part of your life, Eddie. Even if all this-”

“All this? This  _ is  _ my life, mom. Buck, my team, LA. This is my life.”

She pursed her lips, but nodded. “Yes, I realize that. It’s not my. . . I still don’t understand this, Eddie. I’ll admit that. I don’t understand it, and I don’t care for it. But you are my son, and I do love you. I’d like to be part of your life. If you’ll have me.”

The room fell to silence again. Eddie didn’t know what to say. He could see it across his mother’s entire body how uncomfortable she was being here. The support he’d gotten from the rest of his family, the unconditional love he’d been shown by his sisters and now his father. . . he didn’t see it in Helena. Not right now, not. . . yet, at least. But the fact that she was here at all, in what was probably the last place she actually wanted to be, showed that maybe she really was willing to try. 

The tension in the room grew as Eddie didn’t say anything. Helena was watching him closely, but everyone else was looking somewhere else, trying not to stare. Eventually, Adriana moved onto his other side, curling a hand around his bicep in a comforting gesture. Eddie took a deep breath. 

“Yeah, okay. We can start over. But mom. . . it’s gonna take a lot more than you just showing up and telling me you love me. If you want to be a part of my life, you have to find a way to be okay with this. With me, and with Buck, and with our life. And if you can’t, well. . .”

Helena nodded tersely. “I’d. . . like to start with your wedding, if that’s possible.”

Her voice sounded strained a bit, and it made Eddie sigh. He hesitated to answer her- he and Buck had been in charge of the seating for the reception, but he had no idea what the ceremony’s looked like. He wasn’t sure if she’d be able to attend. Before he could struggle through how to say as much, his sister spoke up.

“Um, actually,” Adriana interrupted sheepishly. “There’s an extra seat by Luis. Maddie and I thought. . . you know, just in case.”

She looked like she was nervous for Eddie’s reaction, but he just smiled at her, moving to kiss the top of her head. It got a smile out of her, and Eddie knew she understood the thanks it was supposed to be. Helena didn’t look exactly grateful to have a seat in the wedding, but there was some sense of gratitude. Eddie didn’t want to look too far into it. He wasn’t about to let his mother ruin the day for him. 

Before anymore could be said on the matter, Christopher, who had stayed at Sophia’s side silently, came up and tugged on his father’s hand. “Dad, it’s time to go.”

Eddie took a deep breath, smiling as he nodded. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw his father whispering to his mother before Helena gave a short nod and left to join the rest of the wedding guests. There hadn’t been any comments about her helping Ramon walk him down the aisle. He didn’t want her to. Eddie wished he wasn’t glad that Helena would be sitting with everyone else rather than a member of the wedding party. He knew it would still be terrible between them for a while, but he was happy to tolerate it if it meant things would start to get better. 

Adriana caught him staring off at their mother and moved into his line of sight, blocking everything else. “You ready for this, Edmundo?”

Her smile was bright, happy, and excited. The look on her face washed over Eddie, and he felt his own excitement rising again. He was about to get married. To  _ Buck. _ The love of his life, his best friend, his partner. Holy shit. His heart began beating faster again, only happily this time. Eddie felt his smile begin to grow. He was about to get married. 

“Yeah,” Eddie breathed out. “I’m ready.”

Adriana nodded, satisfied, and the group of them began moving into their proper places to enter the ballroom. Adriana opened the doors to the ballroom, giving Eddie a glimpse of Maddie standing at the doors on the other side. Eddie wasn’t sure what signal they were using to show they were ready to go, but it had been used apparently, because Chris moved out into the ballroom, careful on his crutches as he met Maddie. The music playing was soft, some instrumental piece that Eddie didn’t recognize. One by one, the wedding party began moving until it was just Eddie and Ramon on one side and Buck and Athena on the other. Eddie met Buck’s eye. The other firefighter’s eyes were shining. Eddie smiled under his gaze.

They’d made the decision that Buck would go down the aisle first. As he began moving, looking fucking  _ stunning _ in his tux, Buck shot a wink his way. Eddie fondly shook his head as he huffed a laugh. Eddie and Ramon waited until Buck was already at the end of the aisle before they started down the path themselves. For all his stressing and nerves, the moment he stepped into the ballroom to walk down the aisle, it felt like a breath of fresh air. The room looked immaculate and gorgeous. The guests’ chairs were a light wood with white seats, and the aisle had been lined with burgundy flower petals on the floor and large bouquets of flowers. At the end of the aisle was Bobby behind a white podium, smiling proudly and widely as he caught Eddie’s eye. Along with Bobby, the smiling faces of his sisters, Hen, Chim, and Maddie were watching him as he made his way to the end of the aisle. Right to where Buck was standing.

When they reached Buck, Ramon gave a squeeze to Eddie’s arm with a smile and look of love, moved to shake Buck’s hand, and took his seat next to Isabel and Pepa. Eddie let out a deep breath through his smile as he took his place across from Buck. With them both in place, Bobby began the ceremony. Eddie didn’t pay much attention, he’ll admit. He was too distracted by that look in Buck’s eyes. Eddie could stare at Buck for hours. Buck seemed to be in the same boat, though; his eyes hadn’t left Eddie. The only thing that got Eddie to rip his eyes away was the word “vows” coming from Bobby’s mouth. Bobby nodded to Buck, who would be going first. Buck took a deep breath, taking a half step closer to Eddie. Eddie followed suit, taking a step as Buck reached out to link their hands together. Eddie gave both Buck’s hands a squeeze, making the other smile. Buck returned the squeeze, smiling softly at Eddie before he began speaking. 

“Eddie. . . you always say you’re not good with words. And yeah, sometimes you’re really not,” Buck smirked at him, and Eddie rolled his eyes fondly. “But when it comes down to it, you’ve always been the one who’s good at making big love declarations. From our first kiss, to the first time you said “I love you”, to the proposal. . . When I sat down to write my vows, I didn’t know how to compete with that. I still don’t. So I’ll just say this: I’ll have your back anytime.”

Eddie smiled down at the ground, as if he had a reason to hide how happy he was. 

“That was the first promise we ever made each other, and maybe the most important one I’ve ever made in my life. Because it led to  _ this-  _ us standing here in front of our friends and family, getting married. You’re the love of my life, and I’m always going to be here for you- for Chris. We’ve kept that promise this long, and I'll keep it forever. I love you.”

Eddie sniffled, blinking back tears as he smiled. 

“Who said you’re not good with words,” he joked quietly, causing Buck to chuckle as he turned around to Maddie. Buck turned back around, holding a ring in his hand. It matched the one Eddie had given Buck- which was currently in Adriana’s possession until it was time for Eddie to give it back to Buck. The ring was a black gold band with three diamonds in a diagonal, though Eddie’s ran the opposite direction of Buck’s. Buck picked up his hand, gently slipping the ring onto Eddie’s left. As he finished, Buck pressed a kiss to the back of Eddie’s hand, which gained a quiet “aww” from their guests. Eddie smiled brightly to him, and as Buck brought their hands back down Eddie held on a little tighter. Next to them, Bobby gave a smile and a nod in Eddie’s direction, signaling it was his turn. Buck shot him a wink, and Eddie took a deep breath of his own.

“Months ago, before I proposed, I was talking to my dad after Diego’s baptism. He, Adriana, and everyone else were taking their turns hounding me about finding someone to settle down with.”

Eddie had never told Buck what his father had said that night that convinced him to propose. 

“He told me. . . he said that you know when you meet the right person because you go the distance for them. You have been going the distance for me, Chris,  _ us _ since almost day one. You’ve saved my life countless times, you take care of us, you saved Chris from a tsunami. And every time you do that- go the distance- you, Evan Buckley, make me feel more loved than I’ve ever been in my life. I only hope I can ever make you feel that way, too. So here I am, vowing that I’m always going to go the distance for you and our family. Because you are my right person, Buck, and you always will be. I love you so much, baby.”

Buck was teary eyed and blushing. When Eddie turned around, Adriana was already holding out the ring for him above Christopher’s head. Eddie looked down at his son, who was looking a little tired on his crutches but smiling up at him with his big, bright smile. Eddie couldn’t help but lean down to press a kiss to Chris’ hair before he turned back to Buck. He slipped the ring on Buck’s left hand, mirroring the action of pressing a kiss to his hand after. Neither of them let go of each other’s hands, even as Bobby kept talking. With just a minute or two of final words, Bobby smiled proudly, standing a little taller. 

“With the power vested in me by the state of California,” Bobby announced, “I pronounce you married.”

They didn’t wait for anymore instruction before falling into a kiss. The guests around them cheered and clapped, but Eddie was too focused on his husband- his  _ husband! _ \- to pay them any attention. The kiss was short and sweet- they had an audience and children here after all- but they both had tears of joy in their eyes as they pulled apart. Eddie’s cheeks practically ached from how wide he was smiling, and he wrapped his arm around Buck to pull his husband into him. Buck laughed as he did. With Eddie’s free arm, he turned, pulling Christopher into the hug. The 13 year old went happily into his father’s arms, wrapping his arms around both their abdomens. Buck smiled, leaning down to press his face into Chris’ curls for a moment. When he stood back up, he kissed Eddie’s cheek. 

“I love you,” Buck whispered to him. 

\----------

The reception was bustling with life, laughter, and joy. They’d made it through dinner, and dessert- during which Buck definitely smashed cake in Eddie’s face- and now everyone was happily dancing, mingling, and having fun. Buck and Eddie hadn’t left each other’s side for more than a few minutes at a time, and they couldn’t stop touching each other. Eddie had admittedly lost track of the number of people they’d talked to; they’d tried to make the rounds to greet everyone and thank them for coming, but they’d gotten sidetracked or pulled away so many times that Eddie was sure they’d missed some people. Buck had pulled him away from everyone else for a few minutes, claiming he needed a break. They collapsed back into their seats at the head table, immediately leaning into each other. 

Eddie had abandoned his tux jacket and bow tie sometime during dinner, and Buck had pulled off his to roll up his sleeves. It was ridiculous what his husband showing off his forearms was doing to Eddie. He’d had to become very interested in his water glass in order to distract himself from the image of Buck rolling up his sleeves. His husband, of course, had known exactly what he was doing and fixed Eddie with a smirk as he’d done so. He’d left the bow tie on, which was more torturous. It was the first time in the night Eddie had wished for the reception to be over- just so he could get Buck to himself. If they’d snuck away to the bathroom for a minute or five, well. . . none of their guests had commented.

Buck grabbed Eddie’s hand as they sat, playing with their rings as he leaned his head on Eddie’s shoulder. Eddie smiled, kissing Buck’s hair as he looked out into the ballroom. Maddie and Chim were swaying the twins to the music as Joy stood on Albert’s feet nearby. Christopher, Denny, and Harry looked to be playing some absurd game of hide-and-seek mixed with tag, May following along claiming she wanted to make sure they weren’t breaking anything- Eddie was almost positive he’d seen the 20 year old playing along, though. Luis and Sophia were slow dancing despite the fast tempo music, and Eddie could spy his parents mingling around with other Diaz family members. The rest of their LA was scattered around, dancing or laughing or chatting. Or drinking, he noted as he watched Karen go stumbling into a giggling Hen.

“Hey, Eds,” Buck mumbled from his spot on Eddie’s shoulder. 

“Hm?”

“Look. Isn’t that Ethan with your sister?”

Eddie looked in the direction Buck was pointing. Sure enough, their friend Ethan, a member of the 136 firehouse, was sitting next to Adriana, who was lounging in a chair at one of the tables. They were  _ flirting _ . Eddie could see it in his sister’s face. Her smile was sweet, her blush showing even from the distance and dimmed lighting, and she was twirling a strand of her hair between her fingers. It was her nervous, sheepish tick. He watched as Ethan seemed to lean closer to Adriana, and whatever he said had Adriana throwing her head back in laughter. She looked. . . carefree. 

“Oh my god,” he mumbled. “She’s- my sister is flirting with Ethan.”

Buck laughed, “Eds, calm down. We like Ethan, remember? Don’t go all big brother on her, okay?”

Eddie shook his head, “I’m not, I’m not. I’m. . . happy for her, actually. She deserves someone who will treat her right. If that’s Ethan, then. . . Good for them.”

Buck sat up, looking at Eddie with a teasing grin. “You’re just a big softie, you know that?”

Eddie rolled his eyes. “Yeah, yeah. Don’t tell anyone.”

“Pretty sure those vows of yours took care of that for me, baby.”

Eddie just smiled, knowing he was right. He leaned in, kissing Buck softly. 

“I can’t believe we’re finally married,” he whispered into the small space between them. Buck, like the cheesy man he was, rubbed their noses together just slightly. 

“Better get used to it, baby. You’re never getting rid of me now.”

“Thank god,” Eddie said seriously. Buck looked surprised for a second that Eddie hadn’t kept the joke going, but it melted into a blush and a smile. 

“I love you, Eds.”

“I love you, too.”

Buck kissed his lips again before shifting in his chair, resuming his position of using Eddie as his pillow. Eddie wrapped his arm around Buck’s waist, pressing them closer together. The day had been better than Eddie could have imagined. He was surrounded by his family and friends, feelings of love and joy almost overwhelming him. He had Buck at his side, his  _ husband _ , and it was perfect. 

They might have gone through a lot to get here, but Eddie wouldn’t trade it for anything. He’d do it all over again, so long as he got an ending like this one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finished on time!! Writing wedding vows is hard as hell, y'all.
> 
> Welcome to the end, folks! Thanks so much for everyone who has followed along with this story, for all the wonderful comments, and for showing it some love. This was a really difficult story for me to write, and there were a couple times that I almost gave up, but we made it to the end! I hope you all enjoyed.
> 
> AND
> 
> Because I love to torture myself with more work, I think an epilogue is coming your way soon. Keep an eye out for it next week or the week after. Any ideas about what my lovely readers might like to see included in it? Leave a comment!


	11. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They awoke, as was becoming more and more usual, to the sounds of crying. Eddie felt like he could cry himself. He groaned, rolling over so he was facing the sighing body of his husband.

They awoke, as was becoming more and more usual, to the sounds of crying. Eddie felt like he could cry himself. He groaned, rolling over so he was facing the sighing body of his husband. 

“For the love of god, she had to pick tonight of all nights to not sleep?” Eddie whined, but before he could push back the covers, Buck’s hand on his wrist stopped him. 

“I got it,” Buck let out, sounding exhausted. “Go back to sleep.”

Eddie didn’t even have the energy to argue with his husband, despite the fact that technically, it was his turn. As Buck slowly made his way out of the bed, Eddie rolled over farther, burying his face in Buck’s pillow and taking a deep breath. They’d been married for two years now. Tomorrow- well, today, he supposes as he glances at the clock on Buck’s bedside table- officially marks two years. Two years since Eddie came out to his family, two years since Kevin and Evangeline had been born, two years since Buck had officially become Christopher’s father, and two years since Eddie made the best decision of his life and married Evan Buckley. 

_ Buckley-Diaz _ , his brain supplied, and despite his exhaustion, Eddie smiled. 

Today also marked the six-month mark since they had brought home their daughter. They had adopted their daughter, Amelia Rose Buckley-Diaz, about a month after she was born from a teenage mother who had wanted to go through with the pregnancy but knew she wouldn’t be able to care for the baby. They had given Amelia her middle name in honor of her mother, and had left Rose with their phone number in case she ever wanted to check in on her. Considering neither of them were biologically related to their little girl, Amelia looked remarkably like Buck. She had a head of soft blonde curls and a pair of eyes that Eddie knew would cause him trouble one day- like Buck, it would be incredibly hard to say no to those eyes. 

Over the baby monitor on the bedside table, Eddie could hear as his husband entered the nursery. 

_ “Hey, baby girl. What’s wrong, huh? Me and your daddy are trying to sleep.” _

It didn’t seem to appease Amelia whatsoever, and her cries continued. He heard Buck release a small sigh, and the shuffling that came over the monitor was familiar enough for Eddie to know that he was picking her up out of the crib. The contact must have calmed her a little bit, because Amelia’s cries were softer now. She loved, it seemed more than anything, being held. Didn’t matter very much who was holding her, she just wanted to be in someone’s arms. Christopher seemed to be her favorite, though, followed shortly by her fathers. Chris was, as both Buck and Eddie knew he would be, an excellent big brother. He loved Amelia more than anything and was constantly offering to help take care of her, play with her, or hold her. Even with the teenage mood swings hitting the now-15-year-old, Amelia seemed to be the one who could always make him smile. Eddie was grateful for it; the sight of their children together was enough to make even the worst days at the station so much better for both himself and Buck. 

_ “Oh, Mia, baby, I promise you’re okay. I know it hurts.” _

That had Eddie frowning. Hurts? What was hurting her? He got his answer as the sounds of his husband and whimpering daughter disappeared from the monitor and appeared in the hallway towards their room. He pushed himself up on an elbow as Buck entered their room, Amelia red-faced and frowning where she was cradled against Buck’s bare chest. 

“She’s teething,” his husband announced. Eddie bit back a groan. 

“Seriously? How has she started teething in the last four hours since you changed her?”

Buck just shrugged, sitting down next to Eddie on the bed. Eddie knew, logically, that she had probably been teething all night and this was just the first it had actually bothered her. 

“Did you grab that teething ring on your way back here? As much as I love her, I really would like to sleep some more.”

Buck just tiredly nodded, pulling the ring out of his gym shorts pocket. Amelia had, thankfully, quieted down to just wet eyes and quiet whimpers. Eddie reached his arms out for her, and Buck passed Amelia over happily. The baby whined at being passed between them, but settled again as Eddie situated her against his shoulder. 

“Is a teething baby a good excuse to get out of this ridiculous party?” Buck asked as he slid down on the bed, playing with the teething ring in his hands. Eddie huffed a laugh, rubbing small circles into Amelia’s back. 

The 118, in their obsession to throw a party for literally any occasion, had decided that their two year wedding anniversary was worthy. Everyone was getting together at Bobby and Athera’s tonight. Buck and Eddie, however, really weren’t supposed to know that. It was supposed to be a surprise. Eddie didn’t know why they kept trying to throw surprise parties over the years. They almost never worked, honestly. The group of firefighters and their families were perhaps the worst secret keepers on the planet, and they were about as subtle as a snow in July. Eddie and Buck had figured it out about a week and a half ago, and had been dreading it since. It’s not that they didn’t want to spend time with their family, but they much preferred it when the attention was on someone else.

“Hey, maybe it’ll work in our favor. They’ll be too busy worried about and fussing over her that they’ll forget the party is supposed to be about us.”

Buck snorted, “Yeah, like Chim would ever let that happen. He’s gonna make sure no one leaves us alone just because he  _ knows _ we hate it.”

Eddie smiled, nodding. That was probably true, yeah. 

“At least they love us?”

That had Buck laughing out loud, though he quickly slapped his hand over his mouth, glancing down at Amelia. The baby had fallen asleep, her face squished against Eddie’s shoulder. Eddie smiled down at her, pressing a kiss onto her head. 

“Think if we try to put her back down she’ll stay asleep?”

“Dear god, I hope so.”

\----------

Amelia did not, in fact, stay asleep. It seemed every hour, on the hour, Buck or Eddie had gotten back up to comfort their daughter. Her cries eventually woke Chris as well, and by early morning the entire Buckley-Diaz family found themselves cuddled on the couch watching early morning cartoons and passing Amelia and her teething ring back and forth between them. They stayed like that most of the day, only getting up for food or bathroom and diaper changing breaks. Despite the lack of sleep for all four of them, Eddie couldn’t help but think about how  _ nice  _ it was. Here he was, two years to the day since he got married to the love of his life, curled up on the couch surrounded by the three people he loved more than anyone or anything in the world. It was a stark contrast to years ago when he thought that he may never have this. But Buck had changed all that. 

His life had changed considerably and by far for the better since he met Evan Buckley. He was healthier, happier, and more content in his life than he thinks he’s ever been. Buck’s influence on his life stretched farther than Eddie would have ever imagined it would when they met on that first day. It was because of Buck that Carla had come into his life and cared so well and so deeply for his children. It was because of Buck that Eddie had made a life for himself at the 118 in the way that he had. It was because of Buck that he could raise these two beautiful kids and know that despite what had been instilled in him, he was a good father and was doing the best he could. It was because of Buck that he had come out to his family. 

Since doing so, Eddie had become so much closer with his sisters. It helped that Adriana, who has been dating Ethan from the 136 for almost a year now, had moved into LA. He also had a standing appointment with Sophia over Skype every Friday afternoon. He thinks he was closer to his sisters now than he had ever been in his life. He and Ramon had found themselves on new ground, too. Ramon had always made an effort to be present in the lives of his grandchildren, but he was making an effort to be in Eddie’s now as well. And Buck, because of course he had, had charmed his way right into Eddie’s father’s good graces. It had been impressive, really. Helena, on the other hand. . . She was a different story. They were civil enough with each other, but it still felt like nothing between them had clicked quite into place. Like square blocks into round holes. When they were around each other, she barely spoke a word to Buck if she could help it. But she loved Christopher and Amelia, and Eddie knew that they were slowly but surely making progress with each other. It was okay. 

From her spot in Eddie’s lap, Amelia let out a loud shriek of a giggle. It was a welcome reprieve from her shrieks of tears. Eddie looked down to his daughter, who was watching with rapt attention as Buck made faces at her. Eddie found himself giggling at his husband as well as Buck stuck out his tongue and crossed his eyes. Chris, who had moved from the couch to the floor, tilted his head back so he was looking at Buck upside down. Noting his son had done so, Buck now directed his funny faces to Christopher. Eddie could see the 15 year old trying to resist, but as Buck leant down to add tickling to the mix, Chris’ laughter now happily rang out to join the mix of sounds. 

Eddie wasn’t sure he could stop smiling right now if he tried. He used the hand that wasn’t supporting Amelia to reach out and grab Buck’s. Buck didn’t even break from his teasing of Christopher to wrap his fingers between Eddie’s. It was such a natural movement that neither even had to think about it. It filled Eddie’s heart with pure fondness. Amelia, who had only recently started sitting up herself and wasn’t quite used to her own weight, seemed to have enough of the position as she fell back into Eddie’s chest. One of her little hands gripped Eddie’s shirt, her eyes still latched onto Buck. Christopher was trying to squirm away, but Eddie was quick to stick his leg out, trapping Chris between it and the couch. 

“Dad!” Chris called out, mock betrayal in his voice. Eddie just laughed in response, watching as Buck slipped off the couch and onto the floor with their son. 

Everything about this moment was nothing short of perfect. It was the kind of life people dreamed about, and there were times Eddie couldn’t believe it was even real. But he would sure as hell thank the universe every day that it was. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is the official end of Eddie's Wedding! I know this epilogue is really late considering my normal upload schedule, but I'm a college student with writer's block, so I'm impressed I finished at all. 
> 
> Thank you all so much for the lovely support you have given me and my story over the course of these 11 or so weeks. It means so much to me that you all enjoyed this so much. <3


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